


AZRE

by BehindTheCorner



Category: RWBY
Genre: AU! Adam, Abandonment, Adopted Sibling Relationship, Adopted Siblings, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anti-Faunus Racism (RWBY), Deaf Character, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Eye Trauma, Fantastic Racism, Found Family, Gaslighting, Gen, Hurt & Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kali is named Hajimu in this story, LGBTQ Themes, Major Character Injury, Mental Health Issues, Murder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Redemption, Running Away, Terrorism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:13:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 36
Words: 300,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24298657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BehindTheCorner/pseuds/BehindTheCorner
Summary: "How are you going to undo the crimes you've done? The blood that stains your hands?"Adam had made many mistakes.Over his short life, he had taken lives, destroyed livelihoods, attacked indiscriminately. Yet he felt justified in it. Freedom for the Faunus was worth as many lives as it costed them. But one fated train heist costed him more than he was willing to give, and after leaving the White Fang behind, he would have to decide what his purpose in the world really was.Perhaps Beacon held the answer. Where he would find allies and new friends, he would also have to face the evil that secretly infected the world, and the evil that had infected him.The question he couldn't answer is: Does he have the strength to do it?Updates every Sunday.A/N: Due to how RWBY is going in canon, I've decided to put AZRE on a hiatus. I'm not sure how long it'll be this time but writing just feels like a chore rather than a hobby now. Thanks for showing interest, and I'll come back when I decide.
Relationships: Adam Taurus/Original Male Character(s), Blake Belladonna & Adam Taurus
Comments: 129
Kudos: 146





	1. The Spark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Years. Years of blood, sweat and tears he had given the White Fang, even after it had taken everything. No more family or friends, all he had was the organisation and Blake. The one who stayed. The one who understood what had to be done for the Faunus. At least, that's what Adam thought. With a mission looming over them and Blake's growing indecisiveness regarding her future in the White Fang, Adam now has to look at the truth right in front of him, and question his own place in the group that had given him a family.
> 
> Whether he makes the right choice in time is a tale to be told.

Burning. 

Fire searing through his flesh, it felt like the skin around his eye was bubbling and blistering. All he could see was red and people around him, their silhouettes blurred through tears. No matter how much he begged, pleaded, the pain never went away. Even when the hot iron was removed and he was left sobbing in the dark, even when he left years later, the pain  _ never left. _

Hands gripped the fabrics of his thin blanket. Bunching together in his tight grip, he sat there heaving, trying to get as much air as he could with each breath. It was agony. Burning agony that radiated from the left side of his face. Nausea was not far behind when the pain started, making the space in his small tent spin uncontrollably. Even lying down helped little those days. 

Covering his face with his hands, he remained like that with darkness around him. All he wanted was it to stop. Please, just make it stop.

Finally, a small voice called out to him. “Adam?”

Hands falling from his face, Adam snapped his head up, ready to shout at whoever disturbed him to leave him alone. However, the words died in his throat when he saw Blake standing there.

She seemed nervous. Standing there in the entrance to their tent, she seemed tiny compared to him even with Adam sitting down, yet was only three years younger than him. Heterochromatic eyes, one gold and one blue looked over him, clearly disturbed to see this person sitting there, sweating heavily while hands shook uncontrollably. That feeling was the worst. Seeing her so worried made him feel weak. Never again did he want to feel that way.

“I managed to find these.” She started, walking fully into the tent with something in her hand. “Has it gotten worse?”

Staring at the bottle in her hands, Adam quickly brushed off her worries. “It’s nothing.” 

“It’s not.” Blake retorted. Small cat ears twitching on top of her head, she kneeled down in front of him, lifting a hand gently to brush over his scar. “Lemme check it ou-”

In a flash, his hand wrapped around her wrist. The tight grip made Blake flinch, the strength behind it terrifying, but it was the brief moment of panic that flashed across her face that Adam focused on. Guilt twisted his gut at his actions, but none of it ever managed to reach the surface, festering deep inside as he immediately loosened his grip and muttered. “Don’t touch it.”

She obeyed silently. Without another word, Blake simply grabbed the bottle and looked over the worn label. By the look on her face, the way her eyebrows furrowed in thought, Adam knew that something was bothering her. Something serious.

“Blake?” He started, leaning with his arms propped on top of his knees. “What is it?”

“Nothing.”

“Blake.” The way he called her name pushed Blake to meet his gaze. Neither of them spoke for a few moments, Blake kneeling there with her hands holding onto the bottle, almost like she was terrified to lose it.

Eyes falling to the side, she didn’t even look at him as she confessed. “We don’t have many medical supplies left. With all the fighting and the confrontations with human settlements…”

“They started those fights.” Adam snapped.

“It doesn’t matter  _ who  _ started them. What matters is that we’re now paying for it.” Blake’s voice turned sharp. “If we keep going like this, if Kaanchana doesn’t stop attacking these peo-”

“She’s the only one fighting for us!” Adam jumped up to his feet. 

Towering over her, he could see that same fear in Blake’s eyes. Yet even though she was barely in her teens, Blake stood up for herself, getting back up to her feet while Adam ranted at her. “No one else has the strength needed to do what she does! It’s about time that humans realise that we won’t be pushed around anymore, and if that means we have to get blood on our hands, then that’s the way it has to be!”

“But these are innocent people!” 

“There  _ are no innocent people!”  _ The sheer malice and bitterness in his voice made Blake recoil. Any attempt to reach out to him was stopped, and instead she stood there while Adam pressed. “I don’t care how many lives we have to take. If it means the Faunus finally gets the respect we deserve, then that’s what I’ll do.”

“You don’t mean that.” Adam scoffed at that, passing Blake with a deep scowl. “You think this will help the Faunus? Making us all out to be murdering psychopaths?”

Pausing in his step, he spun around to face her and hissed. “They already think we are!”

“Then we don’t validate their ideas! How is running around killing people and robbing their things going to stop their hatred of us?” 

“They’ll think twice before pushing us down in the mud! They’ll think twice before running our people out of town, for hunting us down like dogs!” Each word was punctuated with Adam taking a step closer to Blake. “They will see our retribution and see that we won’t stand idly by and let them hurt us any longer!”

“This isn’t the way. We can’t take our suffering and force it onto others.”

Anger bubbled at her words. The way she refused to see what the White Fang was doing, how she painted their brothers and sister, how she painted  _ him,  _ as thugs and wild animals. The rage was uncontrollable, and with no way out, Adam allowed it to fester as he finally snapped. “And what suffering have you gone through?! You’ve lived in a mansion in Menagerie your entire life, you have no idea what our people have gone through!”

His harsh words struck deeply. Taken aback, Blake had no retort to what he said, rather standing there with her ears flat against her head. He couldn’t help but feel horrible when he saw how vulnerable she looked. 

Reaching out, he flinched when she slapped his hand away. It wasn’t that hard, more like a tap than a solid blow, but the hurt and anger in her eyes were more than enough to get to him. 

“I left home because I wanted to help the Faunus. You don’t get to throw that back in my face.” She spat. “We both left Mom and Dad to stay here, but lately it feels like we made a mistake.”

“What’d you mean?”

“Look at what we’re doing.” Blake passed him, beckoning him to follow as they both approached the tent door.

Lifting the tent flap up, the darkness outside was all someone could see. However, to the two Faunus standing there, figures in the dark could be seen moving around. Members gathering together, quiet whispers and laughs echoing from the shadows.

From beside him, he heard Blake whisper softly. “These people are trying their best, but they’re becoming the thing all Faunus are painted as. We’re killers, Adam, and I can’t help but feel horrible that Dad’s vision has been turned to  _ this. _ ”

“Ghira’s vision died when he left us all here.”

“He didn’t have a choice.” She countered, no longer holding any anger in her voice.

That didn’t mean Adam’s vanished. Still holding on to that bitterness, he turned around and went back into the tent, sitting down on his bed while Blake closed the tent flap. “Ghira was a coward. He knew everyone in the White Fang didn’t like his methods and ran rather than fight for what he believed in.”

“Dad was outnumbered. He can’t be a leader if no one wants to follow him.” 

“No one wanted to follow him because he was a pushover.” She scowled at that, unable to defend her missing father when Adam added. “Even that day, when humans had us surrounded… he didn’t fight back.”

Memories of that day came flooding back. He would never forget the sound of gunshots, how the humans spat vile things at them, and all that came out as he quickly muttered. “Even when the shot at us, when they shot  _ him.  _ He still didn’t fight back. He almost died that day, and when I saved him… he looked at me like I was a monster.”

“Dad loved you.”

“No. Not after that day he didn’t.” Adam paused for a moment, staring down at his hands. “You weren't there, Blake. You didn’t have to see him almost die.”

Unable to take his gaze off his hands, he could almost feel the warm blood seeping through his gloves, sticking the fabric to his skin. With the silence between them heavy, he didn’t say anything as he noticed Blake kneeling down in front of him. Smaller hands wrapped around his own. Holding on, he said nothing as she begged him. “We can still help the Faunus without the White Fang. This isn’t the way to do it.”

For a moment, her offer sounded tempting. 

He would be lying if he said he wasn’t tired as well from the fighting. Constantly moving, taking people’s lives and their livelihoods. It had an impact on one’s soul and mind that couldn’t be explained or erased. 

But as quickly he contemplated, it was snatched away with a new voice disrupting them. “Blake. Adam.”

Gruff and deep, both of them recognised that voice and immediately got to their feet. Eyes locked on the newcomer, neither of the younger members saying anything while he stood at the tent flap. Giant and burly, towering over even Adam, they couldn’t see his face from behind the mask all White Fang members wore, the stark white thing covering the entirety of his face with the red markings copying those on Adam and Blake’s.

Donned in the uniform, they were supposed to feel relaxed. Safe amongst one of their brothers. But they didn’t. Rather, they felt fear and apprehension around him, neither making a move until he spoke again. “Leader Naga wants to speak to you. Both of you.”

“What’d she want with us?” Blake piped up.

“I don’t know. She wouldn’t say, I didn’t ask, so I wouldn’t keep her waiting.” Without another word, he turned and left them alone. 

Even before the tent flap could fall down completely, Adam turned and kneeled down by his bed, pulling out a small, black box while Blake watched him. Feeling her narrow eyes peering over his shoulder, he listened while she sighed. “What’d you think she wants from us now?”

“I dunno. But Banesaw’s right, we don’t wanna keep her waiting.” He pressed.

Blake didn’t argue with that. With her moving away from him, Adam opened the box and gazed inside, looking over the few possessions he had before picking up the thing he was looking for. His White Fang mask.

Running a thumb over the painted woodwork, he took a moment to look over the worn surface with all the knicks and scratches from years of use. Ever since Ghira and Sienna took over, they had been wearing masks to hide their identity, including Blake and Adam. Yet there was a different reason for him. Slipping it on, he turned around and caught a glimpse from the small hand mirror that Blake had on her own bed. 

The upper part of his face was completely covered. Rather than his narrow eyes, all that anyone could see were four slits that he peered out of, hiding away the scar burned into his flesh. No longer arguing with Blake, any distraction he might have had slipped away and the pain returned. 

Unable to take it, he turned and spotted the bottle that Blake had left on his bed. Without thinking twice, he swiped it, popped the cap off, and downed some of the pills from it. It wouldn’t take away all of it, but it was enough. He hoped it was enough.

From behind him, he heard Blake call out to him. “You coming?”

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

Finally, the two slipped out of the tent. The camp around them was quiet. With dark skies above them, many had fallen asleep, trying to catch what rest they could before dawn arrived and a new day pulled them out of their dreams. While many rested in closed off tents, Adam and Blake sneaked past. Unwilling to wake anyone up, they moved through like shadows, neither one of them talking to each other until they crossed the entire camp towards their leader’s tent.

It wasn’t hard to miss. The biggest of them all, two guards were posted outside the entranceway at all hours, armed and ready to attack at the slightest sniff of trouble. Neither of them paid attention to the young members as they passed by.

Surprisingly, a twist in Adam’s gut returned when he raised his hand to open the tent flap. He didn’t understand why. There was no fear or apprehension between him and their leader, and yet when faced with the idea of facing her, knowing what he and Blake were just arguing about, he worried that Banesaw somehow overheard and relayed all of it back to Kaanchana. That carried with him even when he went through into the main tent.

Inside was certainly grander than what the other White Fang members had. A huge space with lanterns scattered around, bathing the whole tent in a warm glow that was almost homely. With a bed in the corner and a giant oak table near the back, all that Adam and Blake could see was Banesaw hovering over it, conversing quietly with a woman beside him. 

As tall as Adam, with broad shoulders and toned arms that pushed against the top of the table, she was garbed in a unique style of the uniform. Long legs hidden under a scarlet red sari, her black top stopping just above her navel to reveal dark scales on her tanned skin, she finally turned to the newcomers. While her emerald eyes softened upon seeing them, the black sclera gave her an inhumane appearance. All of her gave a reptilian look, and though Adam would never admit it to her, he hated the way her headdress stared at him.

Shining gold contrasted with jet black hair rivalling Blake’s. The front of it engulfed her face like a snake’s mouth, fanged tips on either side of her head with its jaws running along her own jawline. With some of her black hair wrapped between the two jaws, it was firmly secured to her head with purple jewels set deep in its sockets, twinkling in the low lamp light. 

“Ah, you’re here.” She spoke, her voice soft and velvet with a motherly tone, like she was welcoming her own children. 

With Blake slightly in front of him, Adam could see her glance over at him, waiting for him to something while they stood there awkwardly. Taking the lead, he walked over to the war table, stopping only a foot or so away from the woman. “You wanted to see us, Leader Naga?”

“I did. Iya and her scouts had sent word that a train belonging to the SDC is passing through just off to the east.” Gesturing to the map, she moved to the side to allow Adam a better view. “It’ll be carrying Dust, more than any that we’ve claimed these past few months, so you and Blake will intercept it.”

The entire map of Vale was there. Pins poking through the worn paper, he could see the trail their branch had left. So many settlements, from the top near the island of Patch to the capital of Vale itself. Following Kaanchana’s finger, he could see the mountains to the east of their camp.

From behind him, Blake piped up. “A Dust train that big will have serious protection.”

“And it does. The Schnee family is many things, but they’re not idiots. After everything we threw back at them, it was only a matter of time before they pulled out the big guns.” Passing Adam, she grabbed something from Banesaw and dropped it onto the table, knocking up some dust that blew right into Adam’s face.

Waving it away, he coughed softly while she revealed. “Atlas has been developing some new tech. Not only robotic soldiers to replace their own, but war machines.”

“Why would they make such things if the kingdoms are at peace with each other?” Blake asked, joining Adam’s side as they looked over the files that Kaanchana had dropped.

“It seems that the kingdoms aren’t as peaceful as they’d like us to believe.” The older woman pointed out.

All the mechanical jargon on it made Adam’s head spin. Documents and printed plans detailing the construction of Atlas robotics, and when he skimmed through a particular Spider Android, Blake chimed in. “Where did you get these?”

“That is none of your business. Your orders are to go to the drop off point and intercept the train, not wonder where we get our intel from.” Banesaw snapped, sticking to the background with his arms crossed.

“Peace, Banesaw.” Kaanchana jumped in. Hand up in a calming motion, she turned her head towards the skeptical girl. “Blake is a valued member of our order. She knows what we have to do, something that even her parents don’t see.”

The mention of her parents made Blake bristle up, her ears pushed back flat in his thick hair as she glanced down at the floor. Approaching her, Kaanchana placed a hand on the teenage girl’s shoulder, a soft gesture to those watching on. Yet Blake looked as uncomfortable as ever.

“I understand your skepticism about what we’re doing, Blake, but all I ask is that you trust us to do what’s right for the Faunus. Can you do that?”

“I…” For a moment, Adam and Blake’s eyes met, and he could see all the doubt and confusion in them. After a moment, she pushed it down and backed away. “I don’t know if what we’re doing is right. All those people, how can you justify what you’ve done?”

The rejection of her olive branch didn’t sit well with the leader. Eyes narrowing, she allowed her hand to fall back in front of her, holding together while she coldly replied. “We all have to make sacrifices in war. This is no place for childish ideals.”

“We’re going into war because you keep pushing the humans! Does the High Leader even know about any of this?!” 

The shouting made things worse. Seeing Banesaw bristle up in anger, the way his clawed fingers dug into the thick muscles of his arm, it had nowhere near an impact on Adam as Kaanchana’s fury did. It wasn’t a big show of rage. Instead, it was ice cold. All warmth and familiarity between them was gone, and being stuck in the room with them made Adam want to do anything to stop it.

Before anyone could say anything, he snapped.

“Blake!” The sound of Adam’s voice caused everything to fall silent. All eyes on him, he could feel them weigh heavily on him, unable to even look at Kaanchana as he focused entirely on Blake. “Enough.”

The look on her face said it all. Eyes widened, she seemed so betrayed that he would side against her, but any protest he thought she would give never came. Rather, she stood there quietly. She wouldn’t even look at him when Kaanchana turned away.

“You have the coordinates to the meeting point. According to Iya, the train will pass through at dawn, so you both will leave immediately if we want to intercept it on time.” She explained, her back to both of them as she waved them away. “Go.”

Blake wasted no time in doing so. Turning around, she stormed out of the tent without saying anything, the heavy fabric doors swaying even after she left. Yet when Adam made a move to follow after her, Kaanchana quickly stopped him with an order. “Wait.”

He obeyed. Standing there quietly, he listened as his leader straightened up and turned her head to him, walking over to the corner of the tent where different sacks and possessions lay abandoned. “I have another mission for you.”

“Me? Why?”

“Because I can only trust you.” Picking up a particularly large bag, she made her way over to where he was standing. “I had hoped Blake would understand why we do the things we do, but I was wrong. Life in Menagerie under Ghira’s protection has left her incapable of truly understanding our plight.”

“She… She does give her best for the Faunus.”

“But you agree with me, don’t you? You and I know what it’s really like out there, having to do whatever it takes to survive. You have the strength that so few have, and that’s why I need you to do this for me.” With that, she passed the bag to him.

Peering inside, Adam was taken aback with what was inside. “Leader Naga, this-!”

“This is our secret. I cannot allow anyone to interfere with my plans, and I know you will do what needs to be done.”

“I… don’t know.” For the first time, Adam was unsure of what he should do. What was being asked of him, he knew that Blake would never agree, and moreso, he knew that deep down he didn’t agree either.

“Don’t you want to get back at the SDC for what they’ve done to you? To so many others?” Kaanchana’s voice turned soft, that motherly person coming back to put his fears to rest. “We have the power to fight back. You don’t have to be that scared little boy anymore.”

She was right. He held the power in his hands to bring the SDC down a peg, to teach them a lesson and empower not only the Faunus hurt by the company, but himself too. This was his moment. He had to take it.

Clutching onto the bag, he kept it close and nodded. “I won’t let you down.”

Eyes beaming with pride, she replied. “I know you won’t.”

Finally, she guided him out of the tent. As soon as he was outside, she silently nodded to him and disappeared back into her tent, letting the flaps fall shut behind her. Alone with just her guards, Adam took a moment to glance back, thinking deeply about what had just happened before pushing it to the back of his mind. He had a mission to do.

Emboldened by the trust she had placed in him, Adam looped one arm through the bag handles and let it hang off his shoulder, keeping it close as he started walking out the camp to the meeting point. 

It wasn’t until he reached the edge of the camp that a figure appeared beside him. As if it was made of shadows, the creepy mirage moved towards him, only for the light of the moon dipping behind the trees to illuminate it. Pale skin and glittering eyes, it was Blake who had approached him, and she did not look happy.

“What’s that?” She asked, focusing immediately on the bag that was hanging off his shoulder.

Glancing down at it, Adam kept a neutral face as he answered quickly. “Provisions. Iya is supposed to be near the rendezvous point, and her group is running low on supplies.”

For a moment, it seemed that Blake was suspicious of something, eyeing up Adam and the bag with an unreadable expression on her face. It was difficult even making her out with the scarf she usually wore covering her head, keeping her cat ears hidden and her face cast in shadows. 

Thankfully, she backed down with a sigh. “Okay. If you say so.”

“Come on. It’s a long walk to the point, and we don’t have much time before dawn.” 

Together, the two disappeared into the forest surrounding the camp sight. With it behind them, most of the journey was spent in silence, neither wanting to talk about the conversation back in the tent. It was a gift. Finally getting away allowed Adam’s nerves to settle, and Kaanchana placing her trust in him for something this important actually made him feel better. It almost felt like she was truly contributing to their cause.

But whenever he glanced over at Blake, he could feel that conflict slipping back. She didn't show anything on what little of her face he could see, but the way she walked so far away from him, no longer sparing even a single glance his way, he could practically feel the tension between them. Walking ahead of him, she didn’t notice the times he stared at her back. Even when she glanced back to check up on him, Adam glanced away, staring at the ground or the trees that slowly passed them by.

Stars twinkled brightly above them. Small lights, they were nothing compared to the shattered moon that drifted high in the skies. Pale white fragments broken off, it was almost like fine dust floating around the moon, never able to escape its pull. 

When their feet ached and each step felt heavy, the two Faunus reached an opening in the dense forests. Slipping out from the cover of the trees, Adam stared at the view ahead. It was almost breathtaking. The way the dark mountains blended into the navy blue skies, how the usually red trees looked like a blanket of shadows, it all seemed like a painting that one could step into, and Adam took it all in as he approached the steep cliff edge they were standing on.

Holding onto the bag, he overheard Blake calling to him. “I thought Iya and the others were meeting us here?”

“They’re likely out gathering intel.They’ll be here soon.” 

She fell quiet. Adam thought that was the end of that, but he was apparently wrong when Blake piped up again. “What did you and Kaanchana talk about after I left?”

“Nothing. It’s not important.”

“Which is it?” With an annoyed sigh, he turned around to see that Blake had perched herself on top of a huge boulder, staring down at him with a deep frown. “Is it nothing, or is it not important?”

“It was nothing. Stop concerning yourself with everything.”

Quietly, Blake jumped down from the rock, approaching Adam with open arms and a desperate tone to her voice. “Adam, talk to me. Can’t you see that what Kaanchana wants might not be what’s best for you?” 

“And what’d you know what’s best for me? Leader Naga understands what I’ve been through. She cares about me, about all of us. If it wasn’t for her, we would have nowhere to go after your parents abandoned us!”

“They were your parents too! Adam, this isn’t you talking! She’s getting into your head, making you turn against us!” Suddenly, Blake grabbed hold of his hand. “Think about what you’re doing.”

With a snarl curling his lips, Adam snatched away his hand and shot back venomously. “You really wanna know what I think? I think you’re tired of playing the Faunus hero because it’s too hard. You’re too afraid to do what needs to be done, so why not run back home to your family?”

“...Because you’re all the family I have left.”

The confession took him back. 

Standing there, he saw Blake’s crestfallen face clearly, and with all the anger and confusion and desire for justice washing away, he could see what was in front of him. A scared girl who just wanted her family.

“I said horrible things to them before we left. Things that they will never forgive me for, and I hope they don’t.” Her voice was barely a whisper as she explained. “I can’t go home… but I don’t want to stay and watch my brother get killed.”

“Blake...” He couldn’t find the words to say. 

Watching him struggle to admit his faults, Blake simply turned away and walked off to a secluded part of the opening. Adam couldn’t even stop her. Rather, he watched her slink away, his saddened expression hidden away by the cover of his mask. 

He didn’t move from that spot. Almost expecting Blake to come back, he was surprised to feel warmth on the side of his face, turning to see the first light of dawn creeping over the horizon. The dark colours of night washed away. Instead, blues, greens and yellows illuminated the skies, and all the mountainside was brightened by the sun’s warm glow. 

In the distance, amongst the sounds of the birds cawing and the wind bellowing through the mountains, he could make out the quiet sounds of a train running along the tracks. Rushing to the side, he peered down the valley. There he saw it.

A massive train hurtling down the tracks. Sheets of black metal bolted down, it slithered through the winding tracks that wrapped through the mountains, fast approaching the spot that Adam and Blake were standing. Quickly, he turned to grab Blake before they missed their opportunity, only to see her silently walking behind him. 

As she peered down at it, he ordered her. “It’s time. Let’s go.”

“Okay.” And with that, the two jumped down the side of the mountain.

Skidding through the fallen leaves and mud, Adam steadied himself, holding onto the hilt of his sword as the pair fast approached the speeding train. For a moment, the fear of missing it gripped him. Yet he didn’t sway. Focusing on the target, he leapt off the mountainside, flying through the air before landing roughly on the top of the train.

Rolling uncontrollably, he stabbed the roof with his sword, piercing straight through the metal sheets with the force of his body and the train pulling him backwards. Halting to a stop, he glanced at the gash he left behind before checking on his partner. 

Blake had fared better. Copying his actions, she stabbed the roof with her katana, holding the sharpened sheath in her free hand as the two held onto the train. Wind howling in his ears, Adam squinted as the fast winds blew into his face, his red curls waving wildly while he pushed onward. One false move and they’d slip right off the train. 

That thought struck home when he glanced over the side of the train, and saw the sheer drop into the valley below. 

Carefully, he and Blake moved up along the train, trying their best not to slip off to their doom. Soon, he spotted something a few feet in front of them. A hatch. With a way to get inside, the two quickly approached it with Adam holding his sword, watching Blake kneel down and attempt to open it. Locked.

Moving out of the way, she stayed kneeling down, holding onto whatever she could while Adam sliced at the lock. The quick strike broke the lock completely. The hatch door swung open, and without wasting time, the Faunus hopped down into the darkness below. 

Heavy thuds echoed through the dark space. Shoes hitting solid metal, it took a few moments for Adam to adjust to the pitch black surroundings, making out some figures standing completely still all around them. Straightening himself out, he glanced around, on edge, and turned slightly behind him where Blake was. “Looks like one of the Dust carriages. Let’s-”

He couldn’t even finish his sentence before loud whirring buzzed around them. 

Glancing around, the figures he noticed before jerked to life. Face plates replacing any sort of face glowed bright red, the same colour as the warning lights built into the train walls shone, revealing all that was in the room they jumped into. Dozens of soldiers. Not human, but robotic with metal joints creaking and limbs turning into long blades. 

Staring at them surrounding the two, Adam tightened the grip on his sword and grumbled. “Looks like we’ll have to do this the hard way.”

“Don’t be overdramatic.” Blake chided.

Backs backed together, neither the soldiers nor the Faunus made the first move. Armed and ready, Adam waited, looking over at a particular soldier as its robotic voice crackled to life. “ **Intruders. Identify yourselves.** ”

Silence. Taking a step from Blake, Adam pressed the trigger on his sheath.

A loud bang vibrated through the carriage. Instantly, the sheathed sword shot out at incredible speeds, the butt of his hilt slamming right in the soldier’s face. Head snapping back from the recoil, it couldn’t recover as he rushed forward, grabbing the sword before it could even hit the ground. Slice. Two quick slashes, and when he sheathed his sword again, the robot was left in three different pieces scattered on the floor.

For a brief moment, no one made a sound.

Then they struck.

Despite outnumbering the intruders, the soldiers were nowhere near as skilled as they were. In the midst of deflecting and slashing, Adam had lost track of Blake, only able to see red masks around him through the small slits. There were so many around them. 

Pulling his sheath out of its hold on his belt, he aimed and fired, shooting one of the unfortunate soldiers in the face while deflecting another’s swipe. The strength behind the blows were unreal. Muscles in his dominant arm ached, but with a swift movement to the side, the sword chipping into his own slid right off. The force sent the soldier off balance, and they were quick to be eradicated with Adam shoving his weapon through its abdomen. 

Unrelentless, more ran for him. 

Quickly, he kicked the metal body off his sword and into one of the robots in front of him. Swings where deflected, opponents danced around, and with the adrenaline coursing through his veins, Adam actually felt alive in that moment. A chance for him to fall did not scare him. Rather, he was welcoming to it, and he would take as many down as he could before they would bring him down.

It was almost cathartic when he saw SDC property being destroyed and ruined by him. Scrap metal and exposed wires littered around him, and finally he noticed Blake amongst the carnage. 

Clutching both of her weapons, she dual wielded them with precision and skill. Any time the soldiers tried to hit her, she left behind a shadow, something that took the hit before she returned it in kind. Using it to launch herself into the air, she twirled around with her weapon slicing through any soldier close enough. Pieces scattered around her. Yet she didn’t pause, running forward towards one.

Stabbing forward, its weapon met nothing but air as she slid underneath it, slicing its legs in two before bringing her sword up in one swift movement. The severed head fell and rolled across the floor. All light in its mask flickered out, and all life disappeared as the empty husk collapsed to the ground.

With a small smirk, Blake managed to return to Adam’s side. Together, they made short work of those standing against them. 

Suddenly, guns firing loudly blared in Adam’s ears. He didn’t think. Any bullets fired at them were deflected, each hit firing up that flame inside him. The power was growing stronger. Keeping it contained, Adam sheathed his weapon, ready to retaliate when Blake ran ahead. 

Quick and nimble, she fared better in deflecting the bullets fired, and reached the armed soldier in no time. Dissecting it in two, she used the momentum to launch a continuous assault against those that surrounded the original target. Everyone around her ended up destroyed. Bits and pieces bouncing across the floor as she jumped on top of one, using her weight to send it falling to the ground with her foot planted in its face. 

Flipping off, she weaved through the rest. With Adam providing cover from the back, the two made their way to a door, likely one leading to the rest of the train. The only thing between them and their mission was another one of the soldiers, ready to fire. 

With a shout, Blake backflipped with her foot lodged into the unfortunate robot, sending it flying up into the air. Taking the chance, Adam moved quickly, and with a harsh kick, he watched the tin can be thrown through the door leading to another carriage. 

Daylight beamed in. Before they could even get out, the roaring winds blew right through the carriage, chilling Adam to the bone as he pushed forward.

An open platform waited for them. The sun now shining over the horizon, a blur of red trees flew past with the train hurtling along. None of the human crew waited for them. Rather, more and more of the robotic soldiers approached them with weapons drawn, thundering towards them. With only a quick glance between them and no words uttered, both Adam and Blake rushed forward to meet their enemies. 

Hand on hilt, Adam reached the first two soldiers and slashed upwards, sending them upwards into the path of his companion. Jumping up, Blake hit them numerous times with the force pushing them back down to the ground. Defenseless, they were thrown aside by a harsh blow as the Faunus continued. Rushing ahead of Blake, Adam continued his assault on his opponents.

All of a sudden, he moved in time as Blake’s weapon whizzed past him. The black ribbon attached to its hilt caught his eye. One swift pull, and the gun component of the sword fired, sending it right back to its owner. Decapitating one of the soldiers, he turned to see Blake handling herself. Whirling her weapon around, she used the ribbon to swing it all around her, reaching soldiers that were far out of her reach. Every move she made was calculated, precise, but he couldn’t focus on her for long as he was dragged back into the fight. 

Rushing through numerous soldiers, he sliced through them all in quick succession. Only when he sheathed his sword again did they collapse in pieces.

Adrenaline could only take him so far. Thinning out the numbers, he could feel the tiredness setting in. Yet he couldn’t stop. When he turned around, he saw a robot flying straight to him and turned his back with his sword slicing behind him. The weight of the robot recoiling from the blow was  _ heavy.  _ Still, firing his rifle pointing behind him, he could hear the metal shredding with the bullet piercing through it.

A heavy thud, and he turned to find it lifeless on the ground. None were left standing as he sheathed his sword.

As Blake rejoined with him, Adam pointed towards the carriage they infiltrated in and instructed her. “Check all the carriages. I’ll take the rest.”

“What about backup? You shouldn’t go alone.”

“It’ll be faster if we split up. Besides,” he turned back to the carriage ahead of them. “I think we can handle a bunch of nuts and bolts if this is all they have to offer.”

She didn’t say anything to that. Pausing for a moment, it seemed like she was ready to argue against it, but she didn’t. Rather, she took a step back and muttered. “Be careful.”

“You too.”

Farewells said, the two went their separate ways. 

Blake’s worried words stuck with him. He didn’t share them, he knew that they could handle themselves, otherwise they wouldn’t have been trusted with this important mission. The bag felt heavy on his back as he entered the next train carriage. Not just physically, but emotionally as well. Finding the room empty of guards, he passed through the stacked containers, glossing over the symbols printed on them.

A snowflake. Stark white contrasting the black of the containers, Adam paused in front of a lonely one pressed against the wall.

Lifting the lid up, he squinted as the faint glow radiated from inside. Crystals. All lined up meticulously and grouped together in types, he didn’t dare touch them in fear of agitating any of them. Instead, he closed the lid again and finally dropped the bag on the floor next to him. Even with the weight off his shoulder, he didn’t feel any lighter. The way his gut constricted when he peeked inside made him frown.

Sighing quietly, he took out the contraption and moved towards the door leading to the next carriage. The deathly silence around him didn’t feel right. Even when he attached it to the door and activated it, there was something in the air that set him on edge. Hairs stood on the back of his neck. Something wasn’t right.

Metal legs dropping around him, the quiet buzzing turned into full mechanical whirring loud in his ears. Before he could be crushed by whatever was about to drop on top of him, Adam jumped backwards, rolling a few times before landing on his feet.

When he looked up, what greeted him was nothing like he saw before. A Spider of metal and steel. Legs thicker than his entire body moved independently, deep set red veins running along its body up to its core, where four giant guns pointed all at him. Pulsing white light suddenly built up. He had to move.

Blasts rang in his ears as he ran to the side, rolling behind one of the containers as the droid kept firing. Covering his face as debris flew past him, he waited for the right moment to move, watching the blasts wildly fire as the droid tried to locate him. Thankfully, it avoided the crates around them, and for good reason. One misplaced shot and the Dust would take both it and Adam out.

Finally, a moment of reprise. Adam took his chance.

Rushing out from his hiding spot, he dodged and weaved through the shots until he reached the droid itself. Jumping up high, he came face to face with it, seeing the same plate reinforced face that all the other robots had. No matter how many times he slashed at it, his sword did little damage to its impervious skin. 

When he landed, all he could see was one of its four legs going straight towards him. He couldn’t move in time. Bracing, he felt the full force of the solid metal leg hit him. He didn’t even know how far he went backwards. 

Everything hurt. Landing on his side, he felt it through his entire body with his teeth gritting together. Once he stopped rolling, he took a moment to catch the breath that had been knocked out of his lungs. There was no time to recover. Even with him defenseless on the ground, it reared its guns once more, ready to dispose of the threat.

Managing to get to his knees, he made a grab for his sword just as the spider droid fired.

Everything went black. Only for a moment, he could feel nothing, but then the harsh pain in his back brought him back to reality. 

The sheer force of the blow had sent him flying out of the carriage the two were fighting. When he slammed into the metal platform he was previously on, a cry of pain managed to escape his throat, with his bruised body skidding to a stop. The pain was unreal. Even with his Aura still up, holding on despite the assault Adam was put through, he could feel the thudding agony radiate from every part of himself.

Slowly, he rolled to his side and gasped. All the air he had managed to get into his lungs had been pushed out at once. Breathless, in pain, and barely able to catch a moment to recover, he laid there and looked up at the gaping hole in the side of the carriage. There, the legs of the spider droid materialized out of the darkness. Pulling itself out, it stretched upwards, practically towering over the Faunus. The fight was not yet over. 

Trying to get back to his feet, he struggled and could only manage to get to his knees. All the muscles in his arms and legs screamed out in pain. The exertion was too much. But the droid didn’t give him any time to recover as it made a beeline straight for him.

He thought he was dead to rights. 

A shout caught his attention, and before the droid could focus on it, none other than Blake jumped into the fray. Rushing for it, she left a shadow clone behind as it tried to fire. Explosions around her didn’t deter the teenage girl. Seeing her throw herself past it, swinging herself upwards into the skies while her sword was embedded in its abdomen, Adam pushed himself to get back to his feet while he still had the chance. 

The arrival of Blake left the doors confused. Unable to focus on the nimble fighter, it was hacked and slashed at, Blake dashing around its legs as it tried to step on her. 

Leaving behind clones, she weaved around its attacks. Quickly, she hopped up on one of its legs and jumped up to where its head was, driving her sword through it before letting a few rounds go off into the metalwork. Before it could try and get her off, Blake pulled her sword out and backflipped away, rejoining Adam’s side with him finally standing.

Her attacks didn’t stun it for long. Recovering quickly, its guns spun around as more components jutted out from the main metalwork. Combining with the smaller, original guns, they formed huge cannons, and they were pointed right at the two.

Grabbing his sword and sheath in both hands, Adam ran in front of Blake without a second thought. “ _ Move! _ ”

Blue and white light fired straight at him. Heart skipping a beat, he pulled his sword slightly out of the sheath and took the full brunt of the shot. The continuous beam was powerful, nearly knocking him off his feet again, but he pushed against it. Hot embers flickered past his face, nearly burning his skin with the force straining all of him. 

Yet deep in the exertion, he felt that flame burn wildly. All the power from the beam was being absorbed into his sword, the red metal flaring crimson with the overload of energy flowing into it, and in extension, Adam himself. 

Finally, the beam relented. Sheathing the sword again, he could feel all the power flowing through him, like electricity flowing through his very being, and all the red on his being shone as brightly as the sun. Black lightning crackling around his feet, he felt none of that fear before. He felt empowered. And that confidence bled through as he chuckled deeply to himself.

Seeing the droid lose its vivid red markings spurred him on, and when it jumped at him again, Adam struck first.

In one swift blow, he unleashed all the energy through his sword, and the world around him faded to red. Metal and bolts faded away to withered petals, and nothing was left behind save the black dust drifting off in the wind.

With all that energy released, Adam felt the exhaustion hit him full force, and with a brief stumble, he was caught by Blake. She struggled to keep him from hitting the floor with his sheer weight outclassing hers. Still, she managed to keep him upright. “Hey, hey. I got you.”

“Blake,” he started, turning his head to look at her. “Didn’t think you’d come in when you did.”

“I guess you were right. The rest of the guards really were pushovers.” 

That managed to get a small chuckle from him. Straightening himself out, he pulled himself from Blake’s hold, turning to see her looking down the side of the train from the platform edge.

“I can see the front of the train! We can get past this carriage and detach the rest of the train holding the Dust!” She explained, moving towards the carriage that Adam was just in. “We gotta hurry! They’ll reach the next train station soon!”

She was right. Determined to finish the mission, she made for the hole leading into the carriage, but Adam intercepted her. 

Grabbing hold of her by the upper arm, he pulled her back while she protested. “Adam, what’re you doing?”

He didn’t answer. Passing by, he ignored her again. 

“Adam?” There was a growing concern in her voice.

At the gap between the two carriages, Adam looked down to see the tracks below. There, he saw the coupling link that attached the train together, the solid metal coated in the same black colour that the rest of the locomotive was. 

It had to be done. Without giving it another thought, he grabbed the hilt and struck at the coupling link. The blow forced the link to split, detaching the train from the carriages he and Blake were on. With no engine pulling it, the carriages started to slow down, and with the rest of the train leaving them behind, Adam stood there while Blake moved to his side.

“Why’d you do that? There was still a whole caboose of Dust left.”

“I know. A whole caboose full of highly agitated Dust.” He corrected.

Voice cold and detached, he could see the series of thoughts going through Blake’s head. Her eyes darting around, she looked over Adam’s body, finally settling on his shoulders as she glanced behind him. Something was missing.

“Adam… where’s the bag?” 

No response to her question. Rather, he glanced back at the train, seeing the distance between them and it grow further apart. 

His silence was just as damning as an answer, and with his hand fishing into his pocket, Blake carried on interrogating him. “The bag wasn’t full of provisions, was it? Kaanchana asked you to do something. Something she and you didn’t want me to know.”

“We’re going to send the SDC a message.” He replied, pulling out a small object from his pocket. “With this.”

“No.” Blake’s eyes widened at the sight of it. Shaking her head, she looked back at the retreating train, and then to Adam. “Adam, no! Don’t do this!”

“I have to. The White Fang has been too timid for too long. If we want to win this war, we have to strike the first blow.”

A hand grabbed onto his tunic. Fabric bunching in her fist, Blake pulled him to face her with anger in her eyes. “Listen to yourself, you sound exactly like Kaanchana! What about the crew on board?!”

“What about them?”

“They’ll die! They’re innocent people doing their job, they’re not the people who scarred you!”

Anger bubbled up to the surface instantly. Teeth bared in a snarl, Adam grabbed Blake’s wrist and threw her away from him, watching her clutch her wrist in pain as he snapped. “They’re all guilty! Every last one who works for the SDC has blood on their hands, and I will make them all pay!”

With his back to her, Adam held up the detonator with Blake screaming in horror. “ _ No!” _

_ Too late.  _

An explosion echoed through the mountainsides. Rumbling the earth, the sound and vibrations sent all living creatures for miles fleeing in terror. Birds cawed as they took off from the trees. Listening to their calls, Adam said nothing as he saw black smoke billowing up into the skies in the distance. 

For a moment, he felt elevated. He had done it. He had completed the mission. The train was destroyed, the Dust stolen, and the SDC would pay for what they had done to him and his people. With a faint smile on his face, he turned to look at Blake. But there was none of that contentment on her. There was only devastation and horror. The way those familiar eyes stared at him with horror and fear felt like it was happening all over again. He could recall them before, and that same feeling of guilt and shame came back.

“You…” She backed away. “You killed them.  _ You killed them!” _

“Blak-” A rough slap across the face silenced him. 

The force behind the blow sent his mask flying to the ground. Clattering across the platform, his face was exposed for all to see, and the shock in his eyes were too much for him to hide. Still, when he got a good look at Blake’s face, he was more shocked to see tears pricking in the corners of her eyes. 

Taking another step away from him, she shook her head softly and muttered. “Don’t ever talk to me again.”

“Wait.” He begged, reaching out to her. She didn’t let him anywhere near her, turning on her heel and running off from him. “Blake, wait!”

His pleas fell on deaf ears. Jumping on top of the carriage, she didn’t even spare him one last glance before she disappeared from sight. Adam tried to follow after her, unable to leave the argument there, but the effects of the fight before had left him weak and with hardly any Aura left. 

A sharp pain in his ribs stopped him, causing him to lean against the railing for support. All he could do was pitfully look up where Blake was. He couldn’t understand. The mission had to be done, he couldn’t let their leader down, but the way Blake looked at him, like he was a  _ monster.  _ It was how Ghira saw him that fateful day. 

Confusion led to anger, and Adam just shouted. “I did it for us!”

No response. After moments of silence, secretly hoping Blake would come back, Adam muttered in defeat. “I did it for us…”

“Sure you did.” That wasn’t Blake’s voice.

Looking up in the direction of the voice, Adam spotted someone new perched on the top of the carriage. The sight of their White Fang uniform calmed him, but not much when he saw exactly who it was. 

“Iya.” He grumbled. 

“Sup, kiddo. You had a good day out?” Iya joked, squatting down with her arms resting on top of her knees. Even from where he was standing, he could see the sunlight reflect off the metal prosthetics that replaced all flesh and bone of her legs. 

Standing tall, he watched as she jumped down from her spot. Any heavy landing was mitigated with a flap of her giant wings, the black-tipped brown feathers dull in the sun. Approaching him, her wings spread out, stretching far past her arm span and making her seem bigger than she truly was. The metal of her prosthetics clinked on the platform. 

Keeping an eye on her, he slunk past her, never once taking his sights off her while she continued. “You know, I told Kaa not to give you this mission. Thought you woulda wussed out or Princess would appeal to your good side.” 

Clasping her hands together, she continued in a squeaky voice. “‘Adam, please stop killing the humans. Killing is wrong and we should just hold the Human’s hand and sing songs with them!’”

“Do you have a point here?” He shot back harshly.

“Snappy.” Rolling her shoulder, Iya looked in the direction of the black smoke. “I can admit when I’m wrong! You really did a number on that train.”

“I killed them.”

“You sure did, kiddo.” 

She clasped a hand on his shoulder, ignoring Adam’s headed glares. “Listen, you can’t go around feeling bad for everything you do. I mean, look at me. I never feel bad.”

“I don’t think you know how to feel bad.”

“Ohhh.” She whispered in an amused tone, letting go of Adam’s shoulder as she leaned forward, like she was talking to a child rather than him. “I get what this is. Poor Adam has made his little sister unhappy so now he’s gonna sulk. You know, you gotta lighten up! Keep going like this and you’ll end up like Banesaw. Sad and boring.”

“What are you even doing here, Iya?” 

“I am here,  _ Adam,  _ to make sure you didn’t chicken out of the mission. And congrats, you didn’t!” Gesturing up to the skies, her larger than life attitude did little to help Adam’s mood. “The rest of the scouts are already making their way back to camp. Soon our little goons will be here, and allllllll this Dust is ours.”

Returning to his side, she pulled Adam beside her, wrapping an arm around his shoulder while she carried on. “Now I’m a reasonable person. So, here’s what I’m gonna do. I’ll toss in a good word to the big boss for you, and as a treat, I’ll rip Blake’s innards out and scatter them amongst the trees.”

“What?!” His horror was apparent as Adam pulled himself from Iya’s grasp. “What’re you talking about?!”

Rather than shock or anger, Iya looked positively bored. “Blake’s gone rogue, Adam. Kaa suspected it for a while now. The way she’s been acting lately, I was ready to take her little kitten ass and drop her against the rocks down there.”

She pointed down the side of the mountain to the valley below. 

“But the old boss lady in Mistral’s always watching. Can’t exactly get away with killing the last leader’s daughter and get away with it. I ain’t that ready to die yet.” She shrugged. “Now? Kaanchana will see Blake objecting to our plans, and we get to silence her.”

“Shut your fucking mouth.” Adam’s guttural growl got some reaction out of Iya.

Violet eyes staring straight into his, for a moment, he thought she would turn violent against him. But what she did next wasn’t what he expected.

“Yes!” She shouted, pointing at him with her slender finger. “That’s the fire I was expecting! Honestly, you gotta get away from your family from time to time. This kind of Adam is way more fun to talk to.”

“You think this is a joke? You know what, I don’t care what you think! I know Blake, and I know that she ain’t a traitor!”

“Hmmmmm, and yet you’re here, and she’s ran off to whoever knows.” Iya pointed out.

Taken aback by her words, that doubt and guilt came back. Adam couldn’t even look at the other White Fang member. Rather, he stared off to the side. “She just needs some time away from all this to think. I don’t blame her.”

“You want my advice?”

“Not really.”

“Rude fucker.” She grumbled. As she passed by him, she pulled the helmet that was fastened tightly to her head, similar to those that the Atlesian pilots wore. 

Sculpted white metal fit forming around the head, her own had a visor that shuttered down in the form of a beak, though what it looked like inside was unknown to Adam. Without it on, her messily chopped, purple-tinted hair was exposed, some of the longer bangs falling in the space between her eyes.

Holding it in her hands, she stopped a few feet away from him and turned slightly, looking over her shoulder as she added. “You gotta stop valuing yourself on what people think. Way I see it, blowing up that oversized tin can was the real you.”

“You don’t even know me.”

“Wrongo.” She wagged her finger. “I know exactly who you are. The dude who sent those poor souls to their maker is the real Adam. The crazy fucker who kicks ass and makes the Humans piss themselves. Embrace it!”

“You’re deluded.”

“Hmmmm, noo, I prefer to think myself as enlightened. At the very least, a visionary.”

Adam scoffed at that. Either way, Iya didn’t call him out on it, instead waving him off like he was an annoying little sibling.

“You should really get back to Kaanchana. Give your report, get some reward and motherly validation, whatever.”

“What’re you gonna do?”

“I am gonna sit here and wait for the others to come and get this stuff.” Tucking her helmet under her arm, Iya shot a smirk at him. “Want a lift back up the mountain? Don’t want you slipping and breaking your spine on the way down.”

“Yeah… you really wouldn’t want that.” Adam shot back sarcastically. “I think I’m good.”

“Suit yourself.” She brushed off. 

Even with her no longer bothering him, what she said had Adam worried. She was lying. She had to be. He knew Blake, and he knew that she would do anything to help the Faunus. Even all the complaints she had were resolved between them. She would abandon their cause.

Would she?

There was only one way to find out. Leaving Iya to watch over the spoils of the fight, he made his way off the train and along the train tracks. Wood and metal under his feet did little to deter him. All he could do was focus on what was likely waiting for him ahead. Deep down, he hoped that Iya was wrong, that Blake ran back to camp to have some time to herself. It was expected after what happened. What he did.

That twisting sensation in his gut never left, even when he found a way back up the mountain and into the familiar trees. 

Red leaves blew around him as the wind justled the branches. Those that weren't holding on properly were blown off, floating down to the floor to be trodden on and left. Listening to them crunching under his feet, he could see the smoke of the campfire drifting into the clear blue skies. The camp was close. He could recognise the little differences in the trees, the log that had fallen over long before the White Fang branch came to that area, even the scarlet red bushes that surrounded the camp

Finally returning to the camp, the bustling life was a great difference compared to what it was like when he and Blake had left. People, awake and ready for the day, moved around the tents and campfires like ants, each having a job to do. Making his way through the campsite, he spared a glance at the main tent.

He should go there and give his report. But he didn’t.

There was something he had to do first. With that in mind, Adam left the leader’s tent alone and made his way to his own.

The flaps were closed completely when he arrived. A shred of hope sat in his gut, wanting to believe that Blake had closed it and hidden herself away in their tent. No doubt she would be angry to see him, but it was something Adam was expecting as he inhaled deeply. Calming down his rapidly beating heart, he raised a hand to the flap and went through without a second to doubt himself.

“Blake?” He called out, looking around the space inside their home. 

There was no one there. 

Looking around, that realisation started to set in with Adam becoming more desperate. “No. No, no, no.”

As he moved to the space between their beds, he felt his foot kick something hard and jumped back, leaning forward to rub at his sore foot. “What the hell was that?”

Gingerly, he glanced down to see what exactly it was that he kicked. There, he found a small box, similar to the one he had that he stored all his possessions in, but it was opened from the movement of his foot hitting it. The few objects inside it laid on the floor. The letters caught his attention. 

Scooping them off the ground, Adam sat down on his bed and looked through all the sheets of paper. Most had been scrunched together, crumpled into a ball to be thrown away, and when he smoothed them out, he found the paper stained with ink and something wet, like water. Or tears. 

They were letters. He immediately recognised Blake’s handwriting, reading through each and every one of them in hopes of finding something useful.

Most were letters that she wanted to write back to their parents. Some of the earliest were years old, when Blake was only twelve, and their parents had left the White Fang and them. There were so many of them. All discarded, they never managed to reach back home before Blake tossed them away. What she must had been feeling was a mystery. Even what she was trying to say in the letters were cryptic and hard to read. 

Reading through them all, Adam stopped when he reached the last one. It wasn’t addressed to their parents. As he read the name on the top, he was shocked to find his own name there instead.

_ Adam. _

_ I don’t know how many times I wrote this now, but I guess this is the best I’m going to do. I’ve been thinking a lot lately. I guess you have been too, but we never really talk nowadays without it ending in us arguing. _

_ Mom and Dad were right. The White Fang isn’t what it used to be. I thought we were doing what was right for our people, that we were actually making a difference, but now we’re using the same violence on the people that hurt us in the first place. I don’t want to be a part of that anymore. So, I’m leaving. _

_ I wanted you to come with me. You’re family too, but now I know that you’re too caught up in this new order to even want to leave it. I guess I didn’t really know you as well as I thought. _

_ I’m sorry. _

The letters dropped from his hands.

Drifting down to the floor, they laid there as he sat there silently. Everything felt too much. Thoughts running through his mind, unable to deal with a single one, leaving him staring blankly into space with his chest constricting painfully. He didn’t want to believe. Even with the incriminating letters right in front of him, he still didn’t want to believe they were real. 

Blake was really gone. His worst fears had come true, and sitting there he felt that same aching loneliness that he felt the day their parents left. 

Deep down, though, he couldn’t help but feel that tinge of betrayal. All the arguments. Everything Blake said. He saw her words in an entirely new light, and he was angry. Angry and scared at the same time, conflicting emotions swirling in the pit of his stomach to the point where he felt like he was going to be sick. Where would she go? Was she alright?

Why was he so concerned for the welfare of a traitor?

He didn’t care. At least, he told himself that. Blake left him just like everyone else. The day had to have come. Deep down, he knew that the arguments would come to a head. 

Rapid thoughts distracted him, leaving him shocked when he heard someone pipe up by the tent entrance. “So, she’s gone.”

Jumping to his feet, Adam stared at Kaanchana, watching as she came into his tent fully. There was no anger in her voice. Rather, she seemed unaffected by it, her voice never raising as she continued. “I suspected as much.”

“You knew? For how long?”

“It was never a certainty.” She confessed. “I hoped Blake wouldn’t have run like Ghira and Hajimu. But, I suppose I was wrong.”

Adam said nothing. Glancing down at the letters on the floor, he stood there thinking deeply, trying to figure out what to say. “I did what you asked.”

“I know. Scouts came back with the word, you did well.” She praised, approaching Adam with a hand reaching up to rest on his shoulder. 

A tender gesture. Yet he didn’t feel any sort of worth in the praise.

“That’s the thing.” He started, staring down at the hand. “I don’t know if it was right.”

“Right?” 

“You didn’t see how Blake looked at me. I thought blowing up that train would make me happy, and it did, but now I just feel like she was right.” Shrugging it off, he walked past her with fists clenched tightly. “I should be happy. We got the Dust, fought back against the SDC, everything should be great!”

“And isn’t it?” Kaanchana asked. “Did I not do enough to keep you safe? Did I not help you when everyone else abandoned you?”

“No, I don’t mean it like that! It’s just… I don’t know!” All the conflict came rushing back. 

Unable to even look the leader in the eyes, he tried to backpedal quickly. “I know Blake hates all the violence, but I thought she could’ve been brought around. We’re fighting back, right? All that we’re doing here will help the Faunus?”

A brief moment of silence had Adam’s nerves grow worse. He thought Kaanchana would immediately reassure him, but when she finally replied to his questions, her cold tone was not what he was expecting. 

“You’re looking for morality in a war, Adam. That is the last place you’ll find it.”

“I just want to know that I’m not losing it.” He sighed, running a hand through his tightly curled hair. “Ghira, Mom, Blake… They’re all gone.”

“Oh, Adam…” Approaching him again, he didn’t move as she wrapped arms around him, pulling him into a hug just like a mother comforting her child. 

Slowly, he lifted his hands to rest on her back, feeling her sash under his gloved fingers. He didn’t know how badly he needed contact. Someone to simply be there for him, tell him that the thoughts plaguing him weren't true, and if Kaanchana was the one to do it, he accepted her affection. 

That was until she whispered to him. “They won’t hurt you again.”

“What?” He asked, confusion clear in his words.

“We have to uphold the rules.” Pulling away, he shuddered at the dullness in those emerald eyes of hers. “No one leaves the White Fang. Sienna gave Ghira a pardon thanks to his service to our cause, but Blake won’t be so fortunate.”

“No. Sienna wouldn’t allow that.”

“The High Leader has entrusted me with upholding the branch here in Vale. I intend to do what I have to, regardless of what she allows.” Gently, she reached out to him. “I have always protected you, Adam. Please don’t throw that back in my face.”

“Killing the daughter of our founder won’t sit right with anyone here.” 

“Our soldiers will do as they are told. Give them what they want to hear, and they will treat it as if it was the truth.”

His stomach flipped at what she was saying. “There’s nothing out there for a Faunus, anyway. We were the only place for her, and she threw us all away. Staying here is the best thing for you, anyway.”

“I know.” He muttered.

“Don’t worry, child.” Kaanchana started, moving past him with hands folded in front of her abdomen. “You will do great things here. And I know that you will be the one to help the White Fang make history.”

Remaining where he stood, Adam stared at her back as she moved to exit the tent. “Is it the history I wanna make?” 

For a moment, she paused. Hand reaching out to lift the tent flap, all he could hear was a soft chuckle, before she finished their conversation with a final sentence. “I hope so.”

Then, she was gone. Left behind with only the discarded papers and the bitter truth, Adam stared at the empty space where she just stood, feeling her words dig into his core in a way nothing ever did. 

Even the idea of Blake coming to harm hurt him more than he wanted to admit. Any previous attempt to sever his bond to her, trying to deny any familial feelings, disappeared with the truth right in front of him. Traitors had to be disposed of. But he didn’t want to see Blake as a traitor, not knowing everything she gave up to help the Faunus. To help him.

The choices were right in front of him. 

Knowing what he had to do, he quickly got to packing everything he could. What little he had from his old life was shoved in a duffel bag. It wasn’t much, he didn’t exactly take much from his childhood home when he joined the White Fang, but he couldn’t leave it regardless. Even the letters that Blake spent years writing were taken too. 

Something to give back when he found her. Despite not knowing where she had run off too, Adam knew he had to try. The very least he could do was warn her of Kaanchana’s plans. 

Bag over his shoulder, a brief moment of hesitation hit him. If he were to leave, he too would be labelled a traitor, and the thought of throwing away all he did for the organisation hurt. Maybe Kaanchana was right. The White Fang was the only place where he could be, safe from the people that would judge him on something he couldn’t change. Violence got them the respect they deserved.

Dropping the bag, picking it up, dropping it again. It was repetition at that point.

Hesitation weighed his resolve down. What he wanted to do was yanked back by fear, and that fear made him more determined to do whatever he had to so he didn’t have to be afraid ever again. 

Would Blake do the same thing for him if their roles were reversed? Risk her life and throw away the only family that didn’t leave her for someone who willingly left?

Deep down, he knew she would have. Even after running away, he held onto the idea that they were family, although their bonds were no doubt strained after what he did on that train. 

So, picking up the bag, Adam slung it over his shoulder and before he could leave, looked down at the White Fang mask left on his bed. It was the only thing he owned that he wasn’t sure on taking. Outside the White Fang, that thing represented all their worst actions. The monsters that it was stylised after. Still, a part of him found comfort in the small thing. It was hard to explain to those that didn’t understand, but wearing it, he felt like he was part of something bigger. 

He wasn’t him anymore, and that was a good thing.

Unable to leave it behind, he grabbed the mask and shoved it in, hidden away from those he would no doubt cross paths with. Taking a deep breath, he pushed himself to take the first step.

Just one step. Then another. Then another. He kept repeating it, pushing himself to finally move out of the tent and into the sunlight. Bright, burning light that his unprotected eyes were unprepared for, beaming straight onto his face with a hand raising to shield his eyes. 

Hardly anyone was around. All disappeared or busy with their own work, they paid no attention to one member walking around the outskirts, trying his best not to draw any unwanted attention. The thought of being caught and questioned made him wanna sprint out, only stopping himself at the last moment. Keep your cool. Act like you belong.

Even when he was on the outskirts of the camp and finally slipped into the forest, he didn’t feel safe. Honestly, Adam didn’t know when he would truly feel safe again, but he pushed himself to keep walking, hoping to get as far away as he could before he would rest. A town hidden in the mountains was not far if he recalled correctly.

With luck, Blake stopped there to gather her bearings before setting off again. If he was quick, he could find her again. 

Up above, he didn’t even notice a newcomer perched in the trees. Hidden from his sight, they watched him closely, spying on the Faunus as he moved further and further away from the campsite. 

Once he was out of earshot, Iay lifted a finger to the earpiece built into her helmet. “You were right. Adam’s run off.”

A staticy sigh crackled over the line. “ _ So he’s abandoned us, too. _ ”

“Want me to take him out?” Iya offered, flexing the metal talons that jutted out of her feet. “Not too much cover. I can get him before he reaches the town down the mountains.”

“ _ No. Let him go. _ ” She groaned in disappointment at that. “ _ He knows the only place for him is with the White Fang. Adam will come home. _ ”

“Sounds to me that you’re playing favourites. First you want me to get dear little Blake for ditching, now you’re gonna let Adam do the same thing?”

“ _ Iya, stand down. That’s an order. _ ”

With a deep growl, she clenched her free hand tightly and snapped. “Hnnnn,  _ fine.  _ But I still think this is a bad idea. He’s gonna run off and warn Princess that we’re coming for her.”

“Blake already knows what we do to traitors.” Banesaw piped up, appearing from behind the tree trunk below. 

“ _ He’s right. _ ” Kaanchana agreed. “ _ Blake knew the price and she is expecting it. Both of you need to be just as smart as she is. _ ”

Staring down at Banesaw with a scowl, Iya grumbled. “So I gotta share the target, now?”

“ _ I trust you to play nice. _ ” There, the call ended with loud static, causing Iya to recoil before quickly taking her finger off the earpiece. 

Huffing, she rested her arms on the top of her knees, squatting on the thick tree branch. “Welp. Time to get started.”

“Let’s be quick. We gotta reach the town before Adam does.” Banesaw ordered, pushing himself off the tree trunk. 

“You really think she’ll be there?” She asked.

“No,” Stopping a few steps ahead, he glanced back at the perching bird Faunus. “But I wanna cover all options. We can’t guess what she’ll do.”

“Right, well, have fun walking. ‘Cause I sure ain’t carrying you.” With a stretch of her wings, Iya took off to the skies. 

Branches waved in the breeze, and a single brown feather fell to the forest floors below. Watching it drift down, Banesaw said nothing about it, rather turning around and continuing the long walk down the hill. 

It was going to be a long search for the missing girl.


	2. Fight Fire With Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake was gone. Vanished into the shadows, Adam has gone after her, desperate to right his wrongs and save her from the very people who were meant to protect them. His searching ends up bringing him to the mountain town of Knossos, where friends and foes alike follow him wherever he goes, and a new path is opened before his very eyes.

Evening came when Adam arrived at the town. 

It was a quaint place. Buildings built right into the mountain itself, there were countless stairs winding up and down, all leading to the main hub built deep into the valley. Even over the tall walls that protected its inhabitants, he could see some of the homes built high above the main road. Nothing would certainly get them on those narrow stairways.

Passing a few stalls, he casually browsed their wares. Flowers, fruit, accessories, so many colours and smells that drifted on the gentle spring breeze. With a sniff, he felt his stomach growl loudly in want. Hours of walking after the fight on the SDC train had left him exhausted and starving.

Though, no money put a serious obstacle in the way. Running with the White Fang had given him all he needed to survive. On his own, he would have to find something to eat and somewhere to sleep by himself. 

Walking down the main road, he was surprised to see people still out of their homes. Life outside the kingdoms was usually not so active. Not with Grimm threatening to come and tear down everything in their way. Though, as he kept walking, he noticed that most people were keeping some distance away from him. 

Stares and whispers that he could barely hear, he tried to ignore them all. Those piercing eyes. All of them focused on one particular thing, and it wasn’t the pitch black, curved bull horns that jutted out of his forehead. It was his scar.

He wanted to cover it up. His mask was in his bag, hidden away under what little he had left, but putting it on in the midst of so many humans was a terrible decision. Those masks connected him to the White Fang, and with the White Fang committing so many crimes against the humans, openly supporting them was not a wise decision. A huge part of him wanted to be open with what he was, but that guilt and shame pulled him back. He didn’t want anyone seeing the darkest reminder permanently burnt into his face.

With a deep sigh, he slunk away from the main concentration of people, taking a smaller street that neared the towering mountain that the town was based on. 

Very few bothered him there. The sun starting to dip behind the mountains cast wide shadows upon the settlement, and the light from the lanterns lining the main streets vanished the further he moved away from them. Dark alleys hiding away all sorts of things. Able to see perfectly fine, he moved through with quiet steps, listening to distant chatter and sounds of people.

Besides an odd alley cat running through some trash cans, he was completely alone. That was the last thing he wanted.

Blake could be anywhere. If she didn’t want to be found, Adam knew that he would not be able to find her. Not being able to talk to her, to warn her and make sure she was safe, it tore at him like something he couldn’t even begin to describe. 

The worst feeling was knowing that he wouldn’t be able to tell her how sorry he was. Being out there, on her own, just like him, he couldn’t help but imagine a lost girl sleeping rough and alone, believing that she was completely alone. 

_ Don’t ever talk to me again.  _ Those words stuck with him. She left hating him, a lost cause who wasn’t even the brother she knew from before. 

Still, he was nothing if not stubborn. Even if he didn’t find Blake, he had to try, and with that stubbornness pushing him forward, he passed through the streets and alleyways in search of the missing teenager. 

The sun finally disappeared behind the horizon completely. Light gave way to night, and the broken moon shone brightly above, bathing the alleyways and streets in its pale white glow. To anyone walking by on their way home, the dark shadows of the back streets hid away all, but a faint shadow creeping about could be spotted if one looked hard enough. Using the darkness to move about unseen, Adam kept his search up.

Every stone and corner was checked, every single hiding place he could find was searched thoroughly. Anything that Blake could slip away into.

And each time he walked away empty handed. Each failed search tore away at his confidence, piece by piece. Despite his efforts to hold out hope, he wasn’t so naive as to believe he would succeed simply because he believed hard enough that he would. One particular spot hidden in the corner of a couple of houses seemed promising. 

Nearing it, he moved a piece of cardboard. “Blake? You there?”

Suddenly, a flash of black ran in between his legs yowling. Shocked by the loud noise, he stumbled back, bumping into the wall with a yell. With heart pounding, he looked at what startled him. 

A small cat. Skin and bones, it was pressed up against the wood and stone wall of the home, hissing and spitting with teeth bared. Watching this creature growling at him, terrified of this towering thing that disturbed its home, Adam glanced down at the alleyway he came up from. The only way out.

Looking back, he shuffled along the wall slowly and carefully. The sight of the opening calmed the feral cat down. No longer hissing wildly, its wide yellow eyes watched him moving, glancing over at the escape route he gave when Adam finally snapped. “Go on, get outta here.”

It didn’t wait around for him to tell it twice. Quickly, it sprinted off into the shadows, disappearing from Adam’s sight.

“Yeah. I didn’t think you’d be her anyway.” He muttered to himself. 

Leaning against the wall, he took a brief break from searching. With the way the moon hovered high above, he knew that hours had passed since he began his search. He must had searched through so much of the town. Yet all his efforts seemed to have been a waste of time and energy. Blake was nowhere to be found, and as he stared at the lights radiating from the town’s nearby train station, he sighed deeply to himself.

“I’m sorry, Blake.” He glanced up at the stars. “I wish you knew that.”

Sliding down the wall, he sat on the floor with legs propped up, resting his arms on his knees with a tired sigh. Exhaustion had started to take its hold. He couldn’t even remember when he had gotten a proper night’s sleep. Energy that kept him going was vanishing quickly, leaving him feeling heavy and sluggish.

With his head tilted back, Adam watched the stars up above. Bright, twinkling lights that seemed so far away, tiny compared to the massive half moon that engulfed so much of the skies. He could recall the night skies back in Menagerie. Electric street lights that were commonplace in the other kingdoms were practically nonexistent in the Faunus-only island, their streets and homes lit up with lanterns that projected warm glows all throughout the main city.

It meant that the skies back home were so much more vibrant. Entire galaxies were visible from the family home, Adam remembering his adopted mother bringing him and Blake out to stargaze when they were younger. Deep purples, blues and stark whites pictured in his mind so vividly despite it being years since he had even seen Menagerie.

In a way, he could almost picture those same galaxies in the sky. It made him miss home even more. 

A dark shadow flying past the moon stopped any reminiscing of Menagerie. 

At first, Adam thought he was imagining things. Exhaustion was making him see what was not there. That had to be the reason, he was certain, but then the figure returned. It was difficult to see with the moon behind them, the light blinding Adam as he squinted.

It was familiar. Then giant wings sprouted out to full length, dwarfing the body and tripling its silhouette. There, it clicked in his mind. Iya was on the search.

Heart stopping, he threw himself against the wall opposite him, pressed up as much as he could in hopes of staying out of her line of sight. Up in the skies, she had a birds eye view of all the streets and alleyways in the town. Including where he was hiding. If she found him, he knew the results would not be pretty.

Glancing around him frantically, he stopped on the trash cans that the cat was hiding behind before. A thin tarp draped over it, it looked like the perfect hiding spot from Iya, and without a second thought, he slipped into the space as fast as he could. 

It was certainly cramped. Bundled up with his knees pressed into his chest, he could hear his own heartbeat in his ears, his breathing so loud he feared that his searcher would hear it from up above. Pressing a hand over his mouth, his nostrils flared with each breath he took. He couldn’t make any noise. 

From where he sat, he froze when heavy footsteps echoed from the alleyway ahead of him. Whoever was making them was no mouse, and knowing that Iya was in town on the search for him and Blake, Adam feared that the one nearing where he was hiding was Kaanchana’s own right hand man. 

Finally, a figure appeared in the darkness. Despite his night vision, he had difficulty making out any details on the approaching person, only able to make out his towering statue and broad shoulders. It had to be Banesaw. 

Fingernails dug into his skin. Stinging pain radiating from where he was scratching himself, he couldn’t even breathe as the figure closed in to where he was hiding. Their upper body was blocked from his view by the tarp and the trash cans. However, the sight of those walking boots wandering just in front of his hiding spot had Adam pulling himself in as much as he could. His heart was beating so fast, blood pounding over his ears, and his chest ached with his throat closing in. 

Watching them, he managed to take a shaky breath as they moved out of view. Unable to see them anymore, he strained to try and hear their movements, following those heavy thuds with each step the person took. 

Before he could breathe a sigh of relief, the boots returned, and the tarp was pulled off from the top of his hiding spot. 

Immediately, he grabbed hold of his sword and moved to strike. Even if he was against such a powerful opponent, he was willing to at least give himself a fighting chance, rushing forward with his sword being pulled out of its sheath. 

Before he could even get it completely out however, the person pushed it back into its sheath. Giant hand holding it in, Adam felt another hand grab hold of the front of his tunic, swinging him around and slamming him into the wall. All the air left his lungs, leaving Adam a wheezing mess as a gruff voice snapped. “What’re you doing skulking behind my house?”

Looking up, he saw that the man who had him pinned was not Banesaw. 

He was considerably older. Dark brown hair peppered with white strands, wrinkled tanned skin, and deep set, steel blue eyes staring straight into his own. Only dressed in a simple night shirt and shorts, he didn’t exactly seem like one who was so strong and skilled in combat, but looks could be deceiving as Adam found out. 

Hand tight around his throat, he winced as the man demanded. “You either tell me now, or you tell the police when I haul your ass to the station.”

“I-I was just trying to find somewhere to sleep.”

The man raised an eyebrow. “Seemed too jumpy for just trying to sleep. Where’d you get the weapon?”

“It’s mine.” Adam choked.

“So you were just creeping around, in the dark, and with a weapon. Forgive me if I’m not so inclined to believe you.”

“Look, I ain’t here to cause trouble.” He was struggling to breathe. “Just let me go.”

The man said nothing at that. Watching this teenager struggling against his grip, he finally relented and loosened his grip, backing off with Adam collapsing to his knees. Gasps for air were the only noises he could make. His throat killed, his lungs burned, and any panic he felt from before was replaced with sheer relief at being able to breathe once more. 

Towering over him, Adam barely got his breathing under control when the man pointed out. “Pretty young to be living on the streets. Where’re your parents?”

“I-”

“Look at me when you’re talking, boy.”

Rubbing his neck, he thought about refusing. Being talked down to like that had his blood boiling, but after the brief demonstration of how much he was outmatched, he bit back his scathing words and instead obeyed. 

In the dim light of the moon, it was hard to make out every detail of his face, but he could see Adam’s just fine. Even with his scar out for all to see, he couldn’t see the repulsion or pity that he was so used to seeing. Scowling, he shot back bitterly. “I don’t have any.”

Surprisingly, the steel look to his eyes faded with the confession. Any sort of hardened aura surrounding the man ebbed away, with even his voice softening. “You been out here all by yourself?”

“What’s it any business of yours, anyway?” Struggling to his feet, Adam was ready to barge past him with scathing words. “Just leave me alone.”

Before he could get far, a hand grabbed hold of his shoulder. Rather than rough like before, it was a gentle touch, trying to keep Adam in place with coercion than the threat of violence. Even though he didn’t know why, he did stop, glancing back at the man with furrowed eyebrows. 

Standing there with a frown, he sighed deeply. “I’d rather not let a kid sleep out in the streets tonight. It hasn’t been safe this past couple of weeks.”

“I can handle myself.”

“Not with the people who’ve been lurking ‘round here.” The man rejected, guiding Adam in the direction he started to walk in. “I got a couch big enough for you. You can rest up for tonight, figure out what you’re doing tomorrow.”

For a moment, Adam wanted to vehemently reject the offer. He didn’t know the man. He didn’t trust him, and the longer he spent so close to the White Fang camp, the sooner he would be discovered. Knowing that Iya and Banesaw were in the town itself made him even more paranoid.

“Sorry, but I really should be going.” He turned down, snatching his shoulder away from the man. “Besides, I don’t need a human’s pity.”

Surprisingly, the man wasn’t angry at his bitter statement. Letting his hand fall back to his side, he just chuckled softly. “Who said I was a human, boy?”

With that, he flexed his hand in front of Adam’s face. The teenager was stunned to see claws coming through his fingertips. Thick, black nails that were longer than any human’s, he didn’t say anything as the man continued. “Come on. The wife’s put leftovers in the fridge. You look like you could have a good meal right now.”

He wasn’t lying. Adam’s stomach growled loudly again, no longer being settled when he pressed his hands into his abdomen uncomfortably. He was starving. 

Frowning, he said nothing in response, just nodding silently and following after the man. Being led around the house, he peaked down the street the man lived on, noticing lights beaming brightly from the distance.

“What’s that?”

Pausing at the bottom of the patio stairs, the man looked in the direction Adam was pointing, noticing the glowing building in the distance too. “That’s the train station. We get most of our supplies by train, actually.”

Adam glanced back at him worryingly. “Train?”

“Yeah, got no roads and airships have nowhere to land. Train’s all we got.” With a grunt, he waved for Adam to follow him as he walked up his patio stairs. “But that’s not something you talk about outside someone’s home. Let’s get in.”

Sneaking one last glance at the train station, Adam walked up the stairs and followed the man into his home. 

Cramped. With the home needing some upkeep on the outside, the inside didn’t seem any better. As soon as they walked through the door, Adam was greeted with many coats that were hanging on the hooks just by the entrance, nearly bowled into the wall as he tried to pass through the sea of fur and leather. 

Shuffling against the wall, he found himself stumbling into the living room. Despite the plain wallpaper and dusty antiques decorating the mantlepiece, it was homely. The fire roaring from the fireplace bathed the room in a warm glow. Thick curtains kept the warmth in, the heavy fabric bunching up on the carpeted floor. 

Slipping off his shoes, Adam glanced around for anywhere to put them, unable to find the shoe boxes he was so used to seeing. Gingerly, he left them in the corner of the room while the man pointed out. “You’re definitely a Mistrilian.”

“What’d you mean?”

“All them folks don’t go anywhere without taking their shoes off.” He explained, rolling his shoulder with a grunt. “Every time I went over there on a mission, I couldn’t go into any building without taking my boots off. Someone’s home? Take off the shoes. An inn? Take off the shoes. Hate to be a cobbler over there.”

“You went on missions?” A nod was his response. “What’d you do?”

Walking past a flower patterned armchair, he paused with a hand resting on the back cushion. “Huntsman. Like to think I was a damn good one, too.”

Ah. That explained a lot.

“Since you were asking, I wanna know something.” Adam raised an eyebrow at that, watching the man settle down into the armchair, gesturing for the teenager to take a seat. 

Sitting down on the longer couch to the man’s left, he got comfortable with his hands resting on his lap. “Where’d you learn to fight with that?”

The man pointed down at Adam’s sword. Eyes glancing down at the weapon, he kept his nerve as he answered cooly. “I grew up outside the Kingdoms. I had to learn if I wanted to survive.”

“Well, you got a lotta learning to do.” Adam’s gaze turned heated at that, his frown deepening into a scowl. When he noticed the shift in expression, the man waved his hand nonchalantly. “Now, now, don’t get so defensive. We all could do with learning from our flaws.”

“I’m doing just fine.”

“Really? ‘Cause last I checked, you were this close to getting your neck snapped.” 

Tenderly touching the bruises forming around his neck, Adam looked away in annoyance. “You just caught me at a bad time.”

“Sure.”

With that, the man sighed, rubbing his grizzled chin. “You gonna tell me your name, or should I just call you Raccoon Boy?”

His name. Meeting his gaze, Adam had to think quickly, trying to keep his nerve as he answered with the first thing he could think of. “Mao.”

“Mao. Right.” For a moment, he feared that his lie had been caught out. Sitting there as stiff as a board, he tried to keep his gaze on the man, watching as he leaned forward and stretched out his hand. “Name’s Phoibos.”

Slowly, Adam’s took his hand. One shake, and he let go quickly, returning the hand back to his lap while Phoibos settled back down into his chair. 

Before he could continue the conversation, a new voice called out. “Darling, did you get rid of that raccoon?”

Both of the men looked over to the source of the sound. 

Standing on the first step of the staircase, a woman was staring back at them. Long, brown hair curled tightly into a bun, two circlets framing her face, she was paler than the man or Adam. Deep amber gold eyes watched them, moving from Phoibos before settling on Adam. “Who’s this?”

“Astra, this here’s Mao. Our raccoon.” He joked, gesturing to Adam with one hand. “He was hiding behind our trash cans.”

“Oh, it’s freezing out there!” She gasped, swiftly moving down the last steps and towards Adam. 

Warm hands pressed against his bare cheeks, small scales darker than her skin noticeable when he looked down at them. As he sat there in utter confusion, she recoiled them with a sharp intake of breath. “An alleyway is no place for a boy your age to sleep. I’ll grab you a blanket.”

“Mao’s gonna be sleeping on the couch tonight.” Phoibos pointed out. 

“The couch? That old thing isn’t fit for the dog.” Astra shot back, turning back to Adam with a soft tone. “I’ll grab you some extra blankets.”

“You… don’t have to do all this for me.” He tried to pipe up. “I can handle the couch.”

“Nonsense! We treat our guests with the respect they deserve.” She brushed off, dashing away into the back room of the house before Adam could get another word in. 

Letting it go, he just sat there quietly while Phoibos got himself comfortable, digging into the pocket of his pyjama pants for something. It was awkward sitting there. Silent, Adam tried to occupy himself by looking around the living room. 

Besides the dusty antiques and wall clock, there were a few framed photos hanging on the walls and propped on the small side table next to the couch. Taking a closer look, he saw Phoibos and Astra standing next to each other. They looked so young there. No longer able to see the grey hairs or wrinkled skin, they were dressed in thick fur coats with Phoibos sporting metal armour and leather arm guards, a heavy looking shoulder pad strapped to his left shoulder.

Squinting, he tried to make out the background of the photo. Snow covered buildings behind them, he was suddenly caught off guard by Astra’s voice piping up. “Mao?”

Panicked, Adam jerked back upright. When he looked back over to where she was standing, he noticed the thick pile of blankets in her hands, glancing between them and her as she smiled warmly. “Your lucky day. I just did the laundry, so these are nice and toasty for you.”

“The boy’s a tough one. He doesn’t need so much faffing.”

“Shush.” She scolded, passing the blankets to Adam before turning to something left on the coffee table. “You must be hungry after staying so long on the streets. I made you some dinner.”

“Told you the leftovers would get used u-” Phoibos paused, looking over the armchair to get a better look of the plate of food she was passing over to Adam. “Did you use the pork out of the slow cooker?”

“There’s still plenty for tomorrow.” 

“That’s my dinner!”

“You’ve had enough!”

It just went straight back to being awkward. With the hot plate on his lap, Adam watched the couple arguing back and front like a child, trying to hand back the plate with a quiet voice. “I’m actually good for no-”

“No, you’re eating.” Astra rejected, putting the plate back on his lap before turning back to her husband. “Where are your manners? Go and fetch the boy a drink.”

Phoibos sat there, cigar in between his lips, and thought deeply for a moment. A brief suspicion crossed Adam’s mind, sure that he would spark up another argument, but the heated stare Astra gave him had the middle aged man sigh and get up to his feet without even a syllable uttered.

Him disappearing into the same back room, Astra turned her attention back to Adam. Making sure he was eating before she sat down, she settled down beside him, quiet while he took the first bite of the pork. 

That first bite made his hunger even worse. He didn’t even realise it was that bad beforehand, unable to stop himself as he ravaged through the rest of the meal. 

From beside him, he listened as Astra asked. “So, did you come from around here?”

A shake of his head. “Well, you must be from somewhere in Vale, then?”

“No.”

“Mistral? Vacuo?” Another few shakes of his head. “Atlas?”

The last question had him pause. Even though he didn’t say a word, she could tell from the troubled expression on his face that she hit close to home. 

Brushing a stray curl from in front of her eyes, she quickly apologised. “Sorry. I was too nosy.”

“Leave the boy alone, darlin’.” Phoibos piped up, appearing from behind her with a glass of water in hand. “A man’s entitled to his own past.”

Nodding solemnly, she got back to her feet and explained with a saddened smile. “We don’t have any spare pillows left, but a couple of the couch cushions should do the job.”

Adam nodded in response. He didn’t look at her, rather focusing on the half finished plate as Astra turned to her husband. “I’ll be upstairs. Don’t stay up too late.”

“I won’t.” He promised, smiling when she kissed him on the cheek and headed back upstairs.

Listening to the light footsteps of the retiring woman, Adam kept quiet as Phoibos sat back down into his chair with a sigh. “Sorry about that. Astra has a habit of letting her mouth run off from her.”

“It’s fine.” The reply was too sharp. 

Truth be told, the questioning left Adam annoyed and frustrated, unwilling to acknowledge the memories that were flooding back from the inane probing. 

Any hunger that he felt before had disappeared. With one last look at the food, he simply placed it on the coffee table, ready to retire for the night when, with the sound of the upstairs door closing, Phoibos spoke up in a serious tone. “Now it’s just us boys, I gotta be straight with you.”

“What?” Adam snapped.

“I’ve been around the place a few times. Met a lotta people, and I want you to know this, Mao.” He leaned against the arm of his chair, smoke curling upwards from the end of his lit cigar. “I met a lot of liars. Became a pretty good one myself. Out there, trust is one of the only things you got. You gotta question someone’s honesty all the time, and if they get to questioning yours… you’ll be in a lot of trouble.”

He knew. Eyes darting around, Adam glanced away as he tried to lie again. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Sure you don’t.”

“Look, what’d you want me to say?”

“Let’s start with your  _ real  _ name.” He grunted, inhaling a great plume of smoke from the other side of his mouth. “I damn well know Mao ain’t your name, and you look me in the eyes when you answer.”

Blue met blue. His gut twisting with the sharp look in those eyes, Adam knew better than to continue trying to lie. “Adam.”

There was a brief moment where Phoibos said nothing. Staring deep into Adam’s eyes, he looked over every bit of his face, deep in thought while Adam kept his cool. Even with the nervous feeling swirling in his stomach, he didn’t let any of it show, frowning deeply when the former Huntsman sighed. “I believe you.”

He should’ve been relieved, but just after the confession, Phoibos continued the questioning. “So, where’re you from, really?”

“You don’t need to know.”

“When Knossos has been dealing with the White Fang these past weeks, I do.” The mention of the White Fang had Adam bristling. “I ain’t stupid. You seem like a good kid, but I gotta do what I need to do to protect my home.”

“I’m not with the White Fang.”

“A boy your age running around with a weapon, hiding away like some stray, and feels like he has to lie about his own name? You’re running from something alright.”

His decisions came back with a vengeance. The guilt was crushing, leaving Adam unable to stop thinking about all his mistakes, and with the guilt came the anger. “I’m  _ not  _ running.”

“So what are you doing?” Phoibos prodded. “Even if you aren’t with the White Fang, something’s telling me that you  _ were. _ ”

“It’s none of your business. My past is my own, remember? Or does that not apply to you?” Adam shot back, narrowing his eyes at the older man.

Give him his due, Phoibos didn’t blow up like Adam expected. Rather, he was firm and patient, answering to his hostile jabs with calm retorts. “Fine. Just answer me this.”

Fully taking his cigar out of his mouth, he held it between two of his fingers and asked.

“Do you know anything about a train yesterday morning?”

Adam’s face fell at that. 

He didn’t mean to be so open, quickly pushing the horror and guilt away as he stared off into the distance, fixating on his plate on the coffee table. Silence filled the space between them. So many thoughts went through his head, so many scenarios that could happen regardless of what he said. He had already been caught out in a lie once. Who was to say that Phoibos would catch him again?

But to admit what he had done, he couldn’t. Not just because of what it costed him, but the weight of the lives he thought were necessary to take sat heavily on his shoulders. His revenge was not what he was expecting it to be. 

Unable to meet his gaze, Adam decided on what to say. “I saw what happened.”

“Did the White Fang do it?”

“...Yes. But it wasn’t supposed to happen.” It wasn’t a complete lie, yet it still weighed heavily on Adam’s tongue.

“So, you were there.” A deep sigh when Adam nodded in response. “Gods. So, what? You still running with them?”

“No, I was telling the truth when I said I’m not with them anymore.” He pressed, looking up at Phoibos as he took another puff of the cigar. “It wasn’t just some petty vandalism. There was so many crates of agitated Dust, it’s their own fault the thing exploded. Not like any Faunus were hurt because of it-”

“Boy, that train heist has left the entire town defenseless!”

The sharp snap had Adam flinching involuntarily. Stunned, he sat there as Phoibos continued. “You think that ‘cause it helped you, that it helped all the Faunus? There are so many Faunus here that the White Fang has actively fucked over because they decided to become full on terrorists!”

“We were just striking back at the SDC.”

“Look around you.” Gesturing to the window, Phoibos scolded Adam firmly. “Do you see any SDC members suffering? Do you see Jacques Schnee boarding up his windows because he doesn’t have the ammo needed to defend his family? Or how about his guards having to be let go because Atlas can’t afford all the bullets and Dust needed?”

“...No.”

“No. You don’t, and do you know why?” He asked. “Because the White Fang no longer cares about equality. They wanted equality before by peaceful means and that didn’t work, now they’ve gone to the complete end of the scale and are killing the people who hate us.”

“Then maybe that’s the way it has to be.”

“I know you don’t believe that.”

Adam’s eyes narrowed at that. Rage boiled his blood and, with his teeth bare, he snapped back harshly. “You don’t know what I want! None of you do! How can you look at me and see a good person anymore?”

Keeping his gaze on him, Phoibos answered with no hesitation. “‘Cause you left that life behind.”

“That doesn’t mean I suddenly think violence doesn’t get what we deserve. I just think blowing up the train might not have been the best way.” His voice softened on that last sentence. “I left the White Fang ‘cause I had to.”

“Listen to me.” Phoibos started, waiting for Adam to look at him before continuing. “You want my advice? Getting away from the White Fang doesn’t mean that their methods won’t stick with you. It’ll take a long time to find yourself, and it’ll be hard… harder than anything you’ve ever done, but I think you have the strength to do so.”

“You’d be the first one.”

“I think I know the perfect place for you to try and atone for what you done.” That caught Adam’s attention. “You’re a pretty good fighter, or you at least have the potential to be one. Beacon Academy is the best place for you to start.”

“The Academy? You want me to become a Huntsman?” 

“It’s a start to find a place for yourself in the world.”

Adam scoffed at that. “I don’t know if I’m morally righteous enough to be such a shining example of society.”

“Heh. Well, you wouldn’t be the first person to join with a dark past.” Phoibos confessed. “I’ve known a lot of Adams in the world. Some managed to change themselves around for the better, others didn’t. I can’t tell you to go to Beacon and I can’t tell you to change your ways…”

With a pause, he placed a hand on Adam’s shoulder, and with a smile, he encouraged the teenage boy. “But I can at least give you the opportunity to do so.”

Having someone openly put their faith in him shocked Adam. Hardly anyone in his life had done so, and sitting there, knowing that there was a practical stranger in front of him that wanted him to achieve, it pushed him to believe it himself. Maybe he wasn’t beyond hope.

Nodding faintly, he looked away with a sigh. “Okay. I’ll do it.”

That pleased Phoibos greatly. Patting Adam on the back like a congratulatory father, he replied. “Good. Now, if you’re gonna go to the capital, there’s something you’re gonna have to do.”

Confused, Adam watched as Phoibos got up to his feet with a pained grunt. Wandering sorely over to something wedged right in the corner of the room, his back blocked out what he was fiddling with, mumbling to himself while all Adam could do was sit there and watch.

Finally, he got back to his feet with a relieved mutter. “Ah, knew we had some to spare.”

Turning back to Adam, the thing in his hand was the first thing the teenager focused on. A thick, white bandage hanging from his loose grip.

“I ain’t gonna ask how you got that scar. Frankly, it’s none of my business.” He started, handing it over to Adam with a word of warning. “But city folk are particularly nosy. If you wanna go around without everyone knowing all your dirty laundry, you can use this to cover it up.”

Slowly, Adam took the bandage. Wth it in his hands, he just stared at it, saying nothing as Phoibos added. “I don’t know what you’d wanna do. All I know is that if it were me, I’d wanna keep my past my own. But you do whatever you want.”

There was no question in his mind what Adam wanted. The one day he was unable to wear his mask, having his brand on show to all around him, it filled him with a kind of shame that was impossible to describe. 

So, he wrapped the bandage around his damaged eye. The blurred vision and grey shapes he could make out before was just darkness. Still, it was no great loss. 

Tying it tightly behind his head, he looked up at Phoibos as he grabbed the boy’s chin, looking over the bandage with a hum. “You can still see some scarring, but overall it covers pretty much everything.”

“That’s good enough, then.” He grumbled, pulling his face out of the man’s grip. 

Phoibos let him go. Standing right by the arm of the couch, he took the cigar out of his mouth and put it out in an ashtray on the coffee table. Adam sat there quietly as he grabbed the plate of half-eaten food, expecting him to take it away until he piped up. “You finished with this?”

Staring at the food, the hunger that vanished came back with a vengeance. Painful ripping in his stomach had Adam clutching at it tightly. Silently, he shaked his head in response, never taking his eyes off the meal. With a grunt, Phoibos put the plate back down. “I’ll leave it here, then.”

With that, he put the plate back down, backing off as Adam moved to dig in some more. “Well, I’ll leave you to get some rest. There’s a train that’ll take you to Beacon, but you’ll wanna grab an early one if you wanna get there before night time.”

“I don’t exactly have money for a ticket.” Adam pointed out.

“Don’t worry about that.” Phoibos brushed off, moving to go back upstairs to his own room.

Before he could disappear, Adam stopped mid bite and called out. “Hey…”

Seeing Phoibos pause and look at him from behind the bannister, he continued. “I gotta ask. Why are you doing so much to help me?”

He stopped. Arms leaning against the top of the bannister rail, he thought deeply for his answer. With the silence between them building, Adam was tempted to just tell Phoibos to forget it, but before he could even speak, the home owner answered. “I guess I wanted to help someone who needed it again. Maybe one day, you’ll pay forward the kindness that was shown to you.”

And with that, he vanished upstairs. 

Left alone, he turned his attention back to the plate sitting on his lap. Finishing up what little was left, he left the plate on the coffee table and got ready to settle down for the night. 

The couch was certainly not the most comfortable thing Adam had slept on. Still, after years of sleeping rough in all kinds of weather, he was glad to have a makeshift bed and a roof over his head. Even if it was just for one night. With the blankets pulled over his shivering body, he tucked it under his chin, staring at the drape covered windows.

Sleep was impossible at that moment. Even though he was certain he had gotten away from Iya and Banesaw, there was a fear deep in the back of his mind that they were coles behind. He could keep running, but sooner or later, he’d be caught in their trap.

That gripping anxiety kept him up for most of the night. Every so often he slipped off into sleep, but every knock and bang had him jolting awake, hand grabbing his sword propped up against the couch. Heart beating wildly in his chest, he sat back down and tried to get back to sleep. Constantly he would do this, and as time moved on, he settled on staring at the ceiling instead. 

Occasionally he could hear Phoibos snoring from the room above. How did Astra sleep with such a racket?

Soon, light shone through the crack between the window curtains. Day had finally come, and exhausted from the lack of sleep, Adam gathered his stuff together for his journey to Beacon. It wasn’t long before he was joined by Astra and Phoibos. 

It was almost funny seeing this couple prepping a teenage boy they found hiding behind their trash cans. Guiding him through the town towards the train station, he kept close to them, glancing around his surroundings suspiciously. Iya wouldn’t risk being caught in daylight. Actually, Banesaw wouldn’t  _ let  _ her get caught in daylight.

But that didn’t help his paranoia. Not only was he terrified of being caught, the thought of finding Blake never left. 

“Can I ask you guys something?” He piped up, waiting until the couple were looking at him before asking. “Yesterday… did either of you two happen to see a girl around here? Black hair, cat ears, was wearing a black and white shirt?”

“A girl? Hmm.” Astra thought for a moment. 

Adam waited with bated breath for her answer. “No, hon’. I didn’t see anyone like that when I was out.”

“Why’d you ask? You lost someone?” Phoibos questioned.

Walking behind them, Adam looked down at the floor, kicking a stone along while he mumbled. “You could say that.”

“Well, fate always has a funny way of working.” Astra comforted. “You’ll cross paths with her again. It’ll just take as much time as it needs.”

He didn’t say anything about that. Falling silent, he didn’t utter another word until they reached the train station.

It certainly wasn’t as grand as the stations he saw in the main kingdoms. Streets lights running up to the main building, its wood and stone walls protected the train commuters from all kinds of weather. When they went inside, the giant glass skylights let in plenty of natural light that brightened up the whole station. 

Pausing in the main hub of it, Adam turned back to Astra and Phoibos, about to speak when a wrapped box was shoved in his face.

Taking it from her, he stared down at the object with a stunned expression. It wasn’t fancy or anything. Rather a small box wrapped tightly with a pale white ribbon, though the warmth radiating from it was certainly different from any usual parting gift.

“There’s a hot meal for your dinner tonight.” Astra explained, holding her hands in front of her. “It’ll be a long train ride, so make sure to drink plenty of water. Beacon Academy should be taking in applicants for the upcoming school year, so if you just head to the school when you get to the city, someone there will help you through applying.”

“Thank you.” He replied gratefully. 

“Oh, and one last thing.” Digging into her coat pocket, she rummaged through while Adam stood there.

Sharing a confused look with Phoibos, the latter just shrugged with a smirk on his face, amused by his wife’s antics as she piped up. “Here it is!”

Something was shoved into his hand. Surprised, Adam looked down to see money. 

“Wait, this is too much.” He tried to politely reject, handing the money back. “I can’t take your money too.”

Despite his efforts, Astra pushed his hand back, curling his fingers around the money. “Oh, don’t worry about it. It’ll be enough for a one way ticket to the capital.”

“I… thank you.” There was genuine gratitude in his voice. 

With the money in hand, Adam left the couple to go and board the train rolling into the station. Luckily, he reached it in time, sitting down by the window as he peered through it. Amongst the few that weren't boarding the express to Beacon’s capital, he could see Astra and Phoibos standing on the waiting platform. 

As the train started pulling out, he could see them waving him off. With a small wave back, he watched as the scenery started to move, pulling out of the station and out of Knossos. He didn’t know if he would see them again, but he was grateful for all the help they gave him. It wasn’t something he would forget the Faunus couple for. 

It was definitely a long voyage. Countless miles of countryside passing by, Adam kept to himself in the corner of the carriage. All around him, he couldn’t see any other Faunus sitting there, and the distrust he felt building up inside him worsened the closer he got to the capital. A place full of humans was never a place he would willingly go before.

Yet now he felt like it was one of the only places he could. Thousands and thousands of anonymous faces to blend into, he could disappear in the sea of people and not be found by the White Fang. Not only is there safety for him there, the large crowds and countless places to hide meant that Blake could have gone there too. She knew how to disappear if she wanted. If there was anywhere Adam had a chance of finding her, it had to be the City of Beacon. 

So, tucked away in his seat, he waited the long hours as he inched closer and closer to his destination.

Over time, the sun travelled slowly across the skies. By the time afternoon had arrived, the tannoy speaker sparked to life.

“ **_Attention, passengers._ ** ” A male voice announced. “ **_We will be soon approaching the City of Beacon. All passengers must stay in their seats until the train has come to a complete stop._ ** ”

Quiet murmurs could be heard amongst the passengers after the announcement ended. Silently, Adam peered out of his window, noticing something in the distance.

Whatever it was, they were approaching it fast. 

Soon enough, he could see giant walls. Towering structures that no beast could hope to scale, there were small tunnels scattered across it, pitch blackness all that could be seen as trains passed through into the city. Tracks propped up above the ground, any lowly Grimm had no chance in attacking the trains if they could even get close enough.

Passing through one of those tunnels, darkness was all that could be seen from outside his window. With his reflection staring back, Adam gently fiddled with the bandage wrapped tightly around his eye, recalling the conversation with Phoibos last night.

His thoughts were interrupted when bright light shone through the window suddenly. Temporarily blinded, he squinted as he peered outside, stunned at the sights just outside the train.

So many buildings. Sprawling as far as the eye could see, he couldn’t shake the surprise at seeing so many people in one place, watching the small figures walking about the streets of the city. Stores, homes, offices, he could see it all from the elevated train tracks he was riding along. 

And in the distance, he could see the heart of the city. Beacon Academy.

The school on the cliffside. So detached from the rest of the city, he could only make out the silhouette of the highest tower, the monument that all people talk about when they mention the Academy. Professor Ozpin’s office laid right at the top.

So that was where he had to go. Despite his desire to start searching for Blake immediately, he had to remind himself of what Astra told him to do. As soon as he did that, he could start his search.

He would find Blake again. He made sure of that.


	3. The Tower On The Cliffs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In all his life, Adam never thought he would ever see Beacon Academy. Vale's prestigious school for the best Huntsmen and Huntresses from across Remnant, he finds himself coming across new faces. Some friendly, others far too much, and with the entrance exam looming over him, he has to contend with a few people who are far too eager to get to know him.

It took some effort to get up to the Academy. Nestled away from the city on a cliffside, anyone who wanted to get there had to take the numerous bullheads that were employed to ferry potential students and Academy associates up to the otherwise inaccessible school. 

With the city down below him, he stared out of the window blankly, unable to focus on everyone chatting away around him. Excitement thick in the air, their idle conversation all sounded like drone in his ears. His reflection was the only thing he could focus on. One tired blue eye stared back at him, bags under from the lack of sleep he’d been struggling with, but the thick white bandage was the most noticeable thing on him outside of the bull horns. 

A few others tried to strike up a conversation with him. Some Faunus, some humans, but all of them were scared away as he barked at them. “Leave me _alone_.”

With shocked expressions or annoyed mutters, every person who attempted to converse with him went back to their original friends. He didn’t care. He wasn’t there to make friends, and he especially wasn’t there to be friendly to any _humans._

Thankfully, the ride up to Beacon was only a short one. Soon enough, the famed Academy peered through the clouds, the sight of it having all passengers rushing to the giant windows to get a glimpse of what would potentially be their new home. With as much space as he could get in the confined space, he too was in subdued awe at the sight of Beacon Academy. 

Now able to get a closer look, he could see so much more than he could while on the train. White stone carved with intricate details made up most of the buildings, scattered across the huge space that the Academy occupied, with the main hub standing right in the centre. The tower standing high above all else was impossible to miss. The silhouette blocking the sun behind it, a wide shadow was casted over the greystone path leading from the landing bay. 

Slowly, the bullhead descended onto the landing pad below. Closer and closer to the ground, Adam could see people already walking about, noticing students wandering in groups of friends while chatting about things that he couldn’t hear. Some gave a fleeting glance to the incoming bullhead, others just went on with their day. 

As soon as the ship landed, the applicants were surprised with a holographic woman appearing suddenly. Over the blue tinted screen, her smartly dressed outfit and tight bun sitting at the base of her head, she peered at them all through glasses that sat low on her nose.

“ _Welcome._ ” She started, pushing her specs up her nose. “ _As you should know, we here at Beacon Academy only accept the best of the best. You are all here to prove that you deserve a spot at our prestigious school._ ”

Trying to get closer through the crowd of teenagers, Adam managed to listen as the woman continued. “ _So, when you exit the Bullhead, you will make your way to the main hall where we are accepting applicants. Be warned that there are tests today to prove you have the physical prowess to keep up with our high standards._ ”

Tests? Adam tightened the grip on his sword in anticipation, a rare smirk on his face while he listened in closer. 

“ _If you don’t believe you have what it takes to complete said tests, then please... don’t get off the ship._ ” She finished with a stern voice. 

All said and done, the hologram fizzled out, leaving the potential students alone when the sound of grinding gears echoed through the ship’s interior. 

With a loud groan, the door leading to the outside world slowly opened downwards. Sunlight beamed through the cracks. Blinding, Adam squinted with a hand provisioning some shade for his delicate eye, watching the door fully open and provide a ramp down to the ground. As soon as the ship had completely landed, the applicants all around him rushed to unboard the Bullhead. 

Excited and cheerful, they made a beeline for the main building of the Academy. Adam followed after them, keeping some distance from the back of the group as he took in all around him, finding his attention dragged away from the chatter and laughter to the buildings surrounding him. 

Isolated from the giant buildings and the main hall, an unknown tower stood tall with students surrounding it. Dressed in their casual clothes, they seemed to have been enjoying the time off from doing schoolwork and completing missions. Smiles and quiet conversation, they were definitely less eccentric compared to the new teenagers that had arrived, having already gotten their curiosity and wonder about the new school environment out of their systems. 

He wondered what the tower was even used for. That wonder quickly vanished when he felt himself walk right into something. Whatever it was, it was _solid._

With a grunt, he fell backwards onto his behind. Shock quickly gave way to anger, his eyebrow furrowing as he snapped. “Hey, watch it!”

“Woah, sorry. Didn’t even know someone was behind me.” The stranger apologised.

On the floor, Adam shook his head in pain, managing to shake off the dizziness from the rough fall. Angrily, he got a proper look at the culprit. 

Tanned skin warmly glowed in the sun that managed to get past the tower behind them, with golden hair messily draped on his head and a pair of round lion-like ears sitting on top of his head. With a single lock between his eyes, Adam was surprised to find slit pupils staring back at him, lacking any irises. With a gloved hand stretched out, he smiled softly as he offered. “Here, lemme help you up.”

Adam glanced at the hand, noting the gold metal vambraces strapped tightly to his forearms. They were certainly complicated, small mechanisms and gears visible behind the chipped metalwork, and running just behind his knuckles, Adam could make out deep holes for who knows what reason. 

Eyes moving back to the hand, Adam accepted the Faunus’ offer and took his hand. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” With Adam off the ground, the stranger put his hands on his hips. “So… you here to apply for Beacon, too?”

“Yeah. You?”

“Yeah…” Well, this was awkward.

Both just stood there quietly. Any attempt for conversation was quickly dropped, neither of them knowing exactly what to say to the other. Adam was good at many things, but small talk was not one of them. 

Finally, the other teenager reached out his hand and smiled. “I’m Zanthus, by the way. Zanthus Nemeós.”

“Adam Taurus.” He replied, forgoing the handshake as he moved past Zanthus, following after the applicants that had already gone inside the main hall. 

He wasn’t walking alone for long. Quickly, Zanthus appeared by his side again, having gotten over the rude brush off and instead attempting to small talk again. “Soooo… this weather, huh?”

Silent, Adam glanced over at the blonde haired lad as he continued with a nervous smile. “Pretty warm, though it’s Spring so… that probably explains it. I’d like Spring more if it didn’t make my nose itch and my eyes water.”

How long was he going to blabber on for?

“Though Vale isn’t as bad as Mistral. The cherry blossoms would be blooming about now, and that just sets my allergies off real bad.” Ears swivelling around with noise all around them, he added shyly. “So, you from Mistral, too?”

“No.”

“Oh, sorry. You just look Mistrali.” Zanthus excused. “You have family from there?”

Pausing at the giant, heavy oak doors leading into the building, Adam’s face turned solemn. He didn’t say anything at first. Rather, he watched the commotion from within the building, seeing so many new and eager faces crowding tables that had been set up to deal with the newcomers. 

Without looking at Zanthus, he answered while entering the building himself. “My mom was born in Mistral.”

“Huh, I see where you get the fashion from, then. Where’s she from?”

“...I don’t know.” It felt horrible to say that about his mother, but Adam was honest as he added. “She never talked about it.”

Zanthus hummed at that. Right by Adam’s side, he crossed his arms over his chest and confessed. “If her fashion sense is anything like yours, I’d say she’s from Northern Mistral.”

“Probably.”

The conversation stopped there. Now inside, the two were surrounded by people. Weaving through the crowds, Adam didn’t keep an eye on Zanthus, unsure where he was behind him, as he glanced at the countless faces around him.

Claustrophobia couldn’t even describe the crowded feeling washing over him. It was too compacted, people nearly brushing against him as they wandered past, too in awe of the school to even notice. He did. Each touch sent him recoiling back, his shoulders tense and his frown deepening into a scowl. He would’ve thought that a school this big would give everyone enough space to move. At least enough that he wasn’t practically sharing breathing space with ten other people. 

Suddenly, he noticed an empty spot by one of the registration tables. Taking the chance, he quickly slid in the open space, noticing the woman sitting behind it. Immediately, he could see that it was not a human.

A blue tinted holographic sat before him. Typing away on a computer set up at the table, she didn’t seem to even notice Adam until he cleared his throat. 

Eyes looking up from the computer screen, the woman stopped typing immediately and smiled. “ **_Welcome to Beacon Academy. Are you here to register for the new school year?_ **”

Even though her voice echoed slightly, it sounded like an actual human was sitting there and talking to him. 

Nodding quietly, he stood there as she went back to typing at the computer. “ **_Did you come straight from a Primary Combat School?_ **”

“No, is… is that gonna be a problem?” He asked, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

“ **_Not at all!_ ** ” The woman replied cheerfully. “ **_We have plenty of applicants that never attended the Primary Schools. We just need you to fill this form here…_ **”

Without turning away from the screen, the secretary continued typing as a blue holographic popped up in front of Adam. Surprised, he glanced down at the small projector that was emitting the forms, an eyebrow raised before he simply shrugged and started filling the forms out. 

The typical stuff. Name, age, place of birth, all the boxes were ticked save for a few. When he finished, the form disappeared and the computer pinged loudly from beside him

“ **_Form received. Adam Taurus, seventeen, born in Mantle of the Atlesian Kingdom._ ** ” She read out. “ **_Previous residence… Asile, Menagerie. We’ve gotten one other applicant from Menagerie._ **”

“From Menagerie?” A spark of hope ignited inside of Adam as he asked quickly. “Who was it?”

“ **_I’m afraid I can’t give other applicants’ information, sir._ **” He hid his disappointment as well as he could, but the crushing feeling reflected in his eye. 

Any spark of happiness vanishing as his chest constricted tightly. Falling silent, he heard her pipe up again. “ **_As we don’t have any graduation papers to determine your fighting prowess, I have to ask that you go and wait in the Examination Room. One of our faculty members will be with you shortly._ **”

“What am I gonna do in there?”

“ **_Just some physical exams. The faculty member assessing you will explain further._ **” She pointed just past the elevated stage that stood at the far end of the hall. 

Leaving her to the patiently waiting applicants queuing up behind him, Adam followed her directions. Passing the stage, he quietly sighed in relief when the crowds thinned out considerably. No longer did he have to brush up against strangers, having to find a spot where he could have some personal space, and finally he could get away from those prying eyes. 

Even with the bandage on, he could still feel that nagging thought in the back of his mind. What if they could see his scar?

Slowly, he fiddled with the bandage, trying to pull it so that the small bits of scarred tissue that was visible were covered, but it was just not possible to cover it all up. With an agitated grunt, he left it alone and went searching for the room he was told about.

There. A lone door tucked away behind the stage, he first noticed the sign taped to it. _Physical Examinations._

Honestly, he expected more people there when he entered the room. Even with a small room with a few chairs for applicants to sit on, there were only a handful of nervous students sitting there. Eyes stared right at him as soon as he stepped inside. Watched, he stared grimly back at them, the scowl on his face and the energy he was no doubt giving off scaring enough students into looking away.

With a casual strut, he walked past the taken seats to the back of the room. Fewer were around, though he didn’t have anywhere to sit with every available seat taken. How little people did they expect to take these exams?

Still, it wouldn’t hurt him to stand for a little while. 

Back against the wall, he crossed his arms and drifted off into his own thoughts. Everything around him was silent. So much so that Adam could’ve sworn he could hear a pin drop in the hallway outside. Even with the few glances he got, no one made an effort to approach him, and soon enough no one wanted to even look anymore. 

It was quiet, but it was quiet that he craved. Too much noise set his nerves off, and with the impending exams bearing down on him, his nerves had to be made of steel. 

“Oh, you’re new!” A new face appeared right in front of him. 

Hands wrapped around his mouth as a shocked scream nearly escaped. Unable to stumble backwards with the wall pushed up against him, Adam stood there with widened eyes as he stared into those blood red eyes. 

The girl in front of him seemed friendly enough. Too friendly. With her blue and white horned headband holding black dreads up, the pearly white grin she gave him was dazzling, almost as white as the pale clothing she wore. It certainly wasn’t appropriate for Vale’s temperate weather. 

“Sorry, sorry! I didn’t scare you, did I?” she asked, hands raised in a nonthreatening manner. “So little people here, I was waiting for a new face!”

“Waiting?” He questioned quietly, looking up and down at her suspiciously. “For me?”

“Well, for anyone, really. But that’s not the point! I’ve been waiting in this room for so long! I’m so excited for this exam, but I don’t think anyone else feels the same way.”

Looking back at them, both Adam and the girl saw the nervous expressions on everyone’s faces. 

Dryly, Adam shot back. “I wonder why.”

“There were more, but the professor overseeing the examinations took them away.” The girl’s grin lessened for a moment. “Between you and me, she scares me.”

“Scared? You really think you’ll get into Beacon when a _professor_ scares you?” His harsh tone made her flinch.

Standing there with hunched shoulders, she seemed disheartened by his words. However, before he could get another word in, that bright spunkiness came back stronger than ever, and she responded to his cynicism with an upbeat attitude. 

“Nothing’ll scare Eirian Esna outta this Academy! I got the skill, the attitude, and-” She paused, grabbing something out of a back pouch secured to her heavy belt. “I got _this!_ ”

Holding it out in front of her, Adam stared at the object in her hand before pointing out in annoyance. “It’s a flower.”

“Not _just_ a flower! This is a Nefertem flower, and they’re pretty lucky back home!” She explained.

With a gentleness unseen in her previous excitable mood, she caressed the blue lotus with a soft smile. “I dried plenty when I was little. They’re meant to be good luck, so I gave everyone here a petal, so that they can do their best!”

Adam’s scowl softened when she plucked a petal from the flower and held it out. “It’s my last one, but I want everyone to have the best chance to achieve their dreams. So, here! You can keep this!”

“This…” He thought about taking it. Hand lifting slightly from where it was hanging by his side, he stopped it, and finished his sentence with his scowl returning. “... is childish nonsense.”

“Huh?”

“Luck doesn’t help you win. Strength and conviction does, and I got enough of that without some stupid flower.” His hands clenched together while he looked away. “I don’t need a human’s charity. I don’t want it.”

Anger egging him on, he didn’t falter even when Eirian’s voice softly replied. “Right… Okay, it’s no biggie. I’ll keep a hold on it in… incase you change your mind?”

He didn’t give her an answer. Even though he wouldn’t look at her, he noticed her retreating away from the corner of his eye. Despite the happiness in having some peace and quiet, that small niggling feeling of guilt bothered him. He shouldn’t be feeling that way. Not for a human, not for any of them. Loathing and anger reacted violently inside of him, scratching and clawing at the surface to be released.

He tried to keep a lid on it as best he could. With the others that were waiting longer than him finally being called to the exam by a professor, he felt the anger fading slightly. That didn’t mean it vanished. When Eirian herself was called to the test, he watched her go with the conflicting emotions swirling in his gut.

At least he could sit down. Dropping the bag he had been carrying, Adam took the seat near her own, sitting down for a moment before he felt something underneath. 

“What the…?” he grumbled to himself, feeling around momentarily until he found the annoyance.

A flower. Blue petals plucked from its bud, there were only a couple left, but he recognised it instantly. That girl’s flower.

Thoughts of crushing it, throwing it in the trash, even stomping on it with his boot. She left it on purpose, didn’t she? 

He didn’t want her luck or her pity. He didn’t need it, he told himself he didn’t, and with it crumpled in his hand, he tossed the broken remains on the floor with a grunt. The few around him said nothing. They didn’t dare. 

Did she think he needed it or something? Was he so weak and vulnerable that a human had to come to his rescue? He never needed luck to get him as far as he had come. All his life, he fought and fought, and that made him strong. It’s his strength that would achieve his goals, not the childish belief in luck and Gods. 

As he sat there steaming, a stern voice called out. “Adam Taurus?”

He immediately looked in the direction of that voice.

Standing in the doorway, he saw a professor standing in the open doorway. Immediately, he could see the reason why Eirian was scared of her, feeling himself under pressure just from that stare alone. 

Green eyes sat behind a pair of smart glasses, and with her blonde hair tied tightly into a proper bun at the base of her skull, a curled part separate that framed the right side of her face. She looked like a professional Huntress. So many had faced the White Fang before, Adam could be able to spot one from a mile away. 

Up to his feet in an instant, he approached the woman as she instructed sharply. “Follow me.”

Together, they left the room of applicants and made their way down the hallway. Heels clicked loudly in the silence. The only noise between Adam and the examiner, he kept to himself while walking behind her, occasionally glancing up at the woman before focusing on the floor or the walls. Once he even stared straight up at the ceiling.

The silence started to get suffocating. Teeth grinding together in impatience, countless thoughts ran through his mind. The exam, what it entailed, if he could even pass, they swirled around deep inside. He was about to come out and ask her the questions plaguing him, but the examiner stopped walking suddenly and turned to him.

“You’ll be examined in this room,” she explained, pointing at the door in front of him with her whip. “There are no rules, only that you are not permitted to leave until the professors and I have given our verdict.”

Frowning deeply, Adam stared at the door as he asked. “What am I expecting when I go in?”

“You’ll find out. Be prepared to adapt to whatever situation you’ll find yourself in.”

There were no words of encouragement or advice beyond that. With all said and done, she turned on her heel and walked off quickly, leaving Adam standing there in confusion. 

Quietly, he turned to the closed door. Standing there, he breathed in deeply, hoping to calm down the twisting sensation in his gut. The apprehension was strong, but there was a little bit of excitement too. The thought of not knowing what he was jumping into made him eager to plow on ahead.

With a quick exhale, he bit the bullet and went inside.

Immediately, he was daunted by the size of the room. Columns towering over him lined the walls, holding up the high rise ceiling that hung far above his head. Footsteps echoed on the marble floor as he walked to the centre of the room. There, he could see the Vale symbol etched into the stone beneath his feet, the meticulous artwork repeated in the symbols that decorated the plain brownish-green walls.

With light beaming in the massive glass windows, Adam paused for a moment. The silence was stifling. No one around him, he was left only with his thoughts, wondering where everyone was.

Suddenly, a microphone feedback screeched. The painful noise had him clutching his ears, looking around everywhere to see where that unholy sound was coming from. As he glanced around, a voice piped up from before, catching Adam’s attention as he finally noticed a glass spectator box high above the arena.

“Adam Taurus, applicant for the new school year at our prestigious Academy.” That was not the woman’s voice from before. It sounded deeper, softer, and even when he ordered Adam, it lacked any of the sharpness that the other woman had. “Please, ready yourself for what is to come. If I believe your life is in danger, the exam will end, but you will be marked as failed.”

Failed. He couldn’t have that happen.

With the clear threat hanging over him, he got into his stance and, with a hand holding tightly onto the handle of his sword, he waited. 

The silence before a fight was always the worst.

A loud grinding noise echoed through the room. Floor rumbling under his feet, Adam glanced around in shock. There, he saw the floor moving apart, leaving large holes between each hexagon shaped slat. What were they doing?

Darkness was all he could see when he looked into the gaps. When the floor finally stopped moving, Adam was left alone. There, in the darkness, he suddenly saw red eyes staring back at him. He was not alone. 

Leaning back quickly, he saw large claws missing his face by mere inches. With a brief stumble, he prepared himself as he saw a Beowolf landing right in front of him. The sheer weight of it shook the ground under its feet when it landed. With smoke radiating off its black flesh and stark white bones jutting out, the creature looked inhuman, and the foul aura it gave off only made his apprehension worse.

Small ears on the top of its head perked as he felt his gut twist in fear. Jaws lined with sharp teeth open as a low growl rumbled from the beast, claws flexing when more of its ilk appeared from the shadows. Outnumbering Adam three to one, they pounced.

It was no more difficult evading the Beowolves than it was the androids back on the train. Rolling out the way of the first one, Adam drew his sword in a horizontal arc with the second one right in front of him, watching it slice right through the Grimm’s abdomen. As it disintegrated into dust, he turned to the first that he just dodged and, with rifle pulled from his belt, shot the creature through the back. 

No sooner that he took his attention of the slain Beowolf that the third and final one attacked him. Ducking out of the way as it slashed at him, Adam sliced at its exposed leg, feeling the resistance on his sword and seeing the way it was cut in half. The Beowolf collapsed on the ground, barely able to pitifully whine before he drove Wilt through its skull. 

Seeing those red markings decorate the white bone gave him pause. There was no time to focus on trivial things. 

A brief moment to catch his breath. A couple of seconds were given though, as from the darkness around the platform he was standing on, more of the Grimm materialised from it. Red and yellow eyes all around him, and they all focused on one target. 

He wouldn’t say the fight was a breeze. Dodging relentless Beowolves, slashing and stabbing his enemies that got too close, he could barely think. His feet moved on instinct. 

Sliding between one of the Beowolves’ legs, he shot at another one that was standing behind the first. Quickly, he rolled out of the way as another tred to pounce him, jumping to his feet with his sword shoved back into the sheath. Without hesitation, he fired his sword straight at the Beowolf he just dodged, rushing forward as soon as it hit the target straight into the muzzle. 

Stunned, it couldn’t react as Adam jumped up on its bent knee and threw himself into the air, grabbing the spinning sword as he stabbed downwards in a fluid motion. The crimson blade pierced straight through its skull, giving Adam a perch as he shot another Beowolf running towards him. Power flared through him momentarily, lighting up the red all over his body, and with that power, he pulled his sword downwards with his weight.

Like a knife through butter, the Beowolf he had stabbed was split in two, vanishing into dust that settled down on the white floor. 

That power inside him egged Adam on. The strength he was born with would be unleashed, and with pride fading to arrogance, Adam became reckless. Constantly flaring up with his Semblance, he paid no attention even when exhaustion creeped into his limbs. His grip on his sword weakened, his legs wobbled slightly with each step, and even his reflexes were being affected. 

When he tried to rush another Grimm, he barely noticed anything until claws slashed him across the face. The force sent him flying, the teen grunting loudly as he collided with the hard floor. After a few rolls, he came to a stop, feeling the pain and tiredness finally set in. Even with his Aura holding up, that blow still hurt, and it hurt _bad._

Panting, he lifted his head, noticing the Beowolf that struck him readying for another blow. Claws digging into the floor, it rushed towards him, jaws wide open as it moved to clamp down on his head. He had to move.

Without a second thought, Adam thrusted his sword forward just as the Grimm reached him. The blade pierced right through the open jaws of the Beowolf, sticking out of the back of its head with black blood staining it, dripping down onto the floor while the heavy weight of the beast vanished. Disintegrated, Adam was left lying there with none left around him. 

He’d done it. He’d passed.

Slowly, he got to his feet, letting out a pained grumble when the left side of his face ached. Reaching up tenderly, he was grateful that the bandage hiding his scar had managed to stay on. He didn’t even see the Grimm come up when it attacked. The truth about his blindspot left him feeling angry, weak, and with clenched fists, he promised that he wouldn’t let the enemy get that advantage over him again.

Turning back to the viewing box, he was eager to hear that voice over the comms again, telling him that he had passed their little test. Yet it didn’t come.

Confusion vanished as soon as he heard a bellowing roar behind him. Spinning around, he couldn’t stop the feeling of dread hitting him when out of the darkness, a massive beast pulled itself onto the platform. 

Much larger and bulkier than the Beowolves, its stout face and spines sticking out of its back, this creature towered over him when it reared up on its back legs. Eyes focused on him, it let out another roar that shook the room and stopped his heart. An alpha Ursa. 

Where did they even get it?!

He couldn’t give it much thought as it charged straight for him. Its heavy weight made it slower, but as soon as Adam had dodged it and tried to counterstrike, he found his striked barely doing anything to its armour plated flesh. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a massive paw swinging for him, barely able to lift his sword to block it when it hit him. 

The sheer force behind it sent Adam backwards. However, he managed to land on his feet, kneeling down for a moment as he tried to regain what little stamina he had. Every strike with Moonslice took a part of his Aura, his energy, and with his showboating before, he found himself drained.

Dammit. _Dammit._

The fight dissolved into Adam dodging for his life, and the Ursa trying to pin him down with each attack. Jumping out of the way just in time, he felt the ground rumble again when the Ursa crashed its paws straight into the marble, hitting the spot he had just been in. Under that weight, he was shocked to see the marble itself cracking. 

He couldn’t block many of its attacks. The power and strength behind it was too much for him to handle, and so he was forced to jump and roll to dodge any attacks it threw his way. 

Feeling its claws swiping just above his head, Adam noticed a few strands of red hair falling in front of his face. Too close. Even when he continued to dodge, the Ursa showed no signs of slowing down, while his Aura and stamina were taking beating after beating. He would not be able to go on for much longer.

Wilt glowed red as Adam blocked a glancing blow, wincing at the sparks that flew off the blades when claws scratched it. Skidding backwards, he could feel the kinetic energy in his sword, almost like a well that was slowly but surely being filled with water. If he could get an opening, he could use a final attack and break through the beast’s thick armour. 

But if he missed, his Semblance would take what little Aura he had left, and Adam would be left too exhausted to move. He had to make the one shot count. 

Holding Wilt in its sheath, Adam gritted his teeth as he forced that power deep inside him to flare up again. Even with all the energy he had stored in the fight, it was nowhere near the amount he felt on the train. Would it be able to get through? 

He had to do it. Not backing down, he watched the Ursa charged towards him again. Broken shards of marble shook by his feet, the mere sight of this creature made of bone and shadows charging towards him filling Adam with dread. The negativity emitting from him was like a beacon. A signal to every monster that there was prey. He couldn’t turn and run.

He had to wait. Just one opening.

When the Ursa reached him, it lifted itself onto its back feet and lifted one of its massive paws. There. 

Adam struck. 

With one swift draw of his sword, he sliced right through the exposed under belly of the Ursa. All the power he had stored up shot out of him in a wave of red light. Strengthened, Wilt’s blade sliced right through the giant beast, bisecting it into two halves. The top half soared over Adam’s head, slamming into the ground with a loud thud before dissolving to smoke and dust. 

Just as soon as the power had left him, Adam’s Aura gave up and red light glowed over his body. A faint sound of glass breaking echoed in his ears. With the fragmented light fading off his being, exhaustion overwhelmed Adam, and the teenage boy collapsed to his knees while panting heavily. He at least managed to stop himself from face planting the floor by holding his hands out.

Every gulp of air burned terribly. Lungs on fire, it was nowhere as bad as the aching sensations that affected every fiber of his being, his arms shaking as he slowly sat back onto his legs. It wasn’t as bad as his last attack with a fully powered Moonslice. Thankfully, he didn’t store enough energy that it would leave him completely immobile.

Sweat dripped down his face as he wiped it away, his heavy breathing slowing down when he noticed the doors just under the examination box opening. Stepping out, he recognised the stern woman from before, but the man standing beside her was a stranger to him. 

Tall and slender, he was certainly dressed like a professor, with a black turtleneck and green jacket giving to the vibe just as much as the long cane he had in hand. Every step he took, the cane tapped against the marble. He seemed so sure and confident, but none of that unapproachability came from the man that did radiate from his female companion. 

When he reached the tired teen, the professor stopped and offered his hand without hesitation. 

“You fought well.” He complimented, his soft voice recognizable as the one that spoke over the comms just before the exam. “You certainly have the skills to join our Academy, Mr Taurus.”

“He has a lot to learn with that Semblance.” The woman critiqued from behind the man, adjusting her spectacles while Adam scowled at her. 

Rejecting the man’s hand, Adam pushed himself to get back on his feet, wincing at the painful reactions in his legs. Despite the rude refusal of his hand, there was no anger or offense on his pale face. Rather, his smile remained, and his voice stayed that calm tone as he continued. “We all can learn from our weaknesses. Hopefully, your time at our school will help you overcome these obstacles.”

“I don’t see how my Semblance is an obstacle.” Adam shot back.

“It is certainly powerful, but it clearly comes at a price.” The woman pointed out. “And the attitude certainly doesn’t help matters, either.”

“That is a lesson for another day. For now, I’m sure you’d want to rest after this whole ordeal.” He wasn’t wrong. Adam was practically swaying from where he stood.

Steadying the poor boy, the professor guided him gently back to the door while explaining. “As the school year won’t begin for another couple of weeks, all first year students are being housed in the city until they begin the initiation.”

“An initiation? What’ll we do in them?”

“That is something you can worry about at a later time.” The professor brushed off. “For now, Professor Goodwitch will see to it that you find your way to one of the hostels that is housing students unable to stay home.”

Gesturing to the woman following after him, the professor turned back to Adam with a final word. “I am Professor Ozpin. I’ll be looking forward to you attending Beacon Academy for this year.”

“Professor Ozpin?” Adam replied in surprise, looking the man up and down as he confessed. “I was expecting something… more.”

“Unsurprisingly, I get that often. Still, I would advise you to see past looks, as they can be quite deceiving.” Ozpin’s advice stuck to Adam. With a hand on his shoulder, the headmaster moved to his side and smiled. “Go and get some rest.”

With that, his hand released Adam’s shoulder and Ozpin disappeared back into the exam room. He barely got a glimpse of the mysterious professor before the doors shut, and Glynda took his attention away from it by leading him back down the hallways. On their way, they stopped by the room he had been waiting in for Adam to retrieve his bag, before being on their way.

Every step ached. Hiding the pain under a neutral expression, he barely paid attention to Glynda as he reflected on what Ozpin said to him. The critique on his Semblance had him chewing the inside of his cheek to stop the anger from spilling out. Critiquing one’s Semblance was already a taboo in Remnant. It was one’s entire being, their _soul,_ and Adam’s had saved his life more times than he could count.

Without it, he would’ve been trapped back in Mantle. 

It was also the matter of fact that his pride felt especially bruised. Insulted and embarrassed, he was practically steaming until Glynda spoke up sharply. 

“The hostels in the city will give you a room to stay until the school year begins. You’ll need one of these seals to prove that you are an accepted student of the Academy.” Something was handed to him. 

Taking it, he stared at the green, reflective seal stamped onto a piece of paper. A gear, as green as the writing above confirming Adam to be a student of Beacon Academy, he turned the paper slightly and watched the light reflect off the hardened wax. While he was paying more attention to the piece of paper, Glynda continued. “Many of the nicer ones have been completely booked by applicants that had come earlier.”

“I was wondering why the Academy was taking in applicants so close to the new school year.”

“We have been accepting potential students for months now. Luckily, you’ve seemed to have earned a spot despite your poor timing.” Adam scowled at the minor insult. 

As they made their way through the main hall, the applicants from before had begun to thin out, leaving only stragglers desperate for one spot in the prestigious school. So many wouldn’t get in. It all made Adam pleased with himself, proud that he had proven himself capable and deserving of the limited spots to Beacon. 

That smile disappeared when he heard a familiar voice call out. “Hey, uh, Grumpy!”

Not her. 

From the corner of his eye, Adam spotted Eirian rushing towards him, holding onto a suitcase that was tucked under one arm. He thought about pretending to ignore her and make a run for the Bullhead ferrying people back down to the city, but he was too slow and tired to even get a foot before she caught him. 

Skidding to a stop, Eirian grinned brightly. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you! Guess who totally aced that test?”

He didn’t respond. Eirian didn’t seem to notice, or at least pretend she didn’t, as she continued. “Me! Bit of a close call, though! Those Grimm can really work up a sweat, huh?”

“Miss Esna.” Glynda piped up, turning back to the two teens. “I thought you would’ve gotten the ship back down to the city.”

“Ah, yeah. I, uh… wanted to wait for my friend here.” She gestured to Adam.

Seeing Glynda raise an eyebrow at Eirian’s confession, Adam quickly shot down with a frown. “We’re not friends.”

“Pfft, he’s just acting cool.” Eirian laughed nervously, quickly changing the conversation with her hands clenched into fists in front of her chest. “I noticed your seal! I’m so happy you got through, now we can just ace this initiation the headmaster was talking about, and then it’s smooooth sailing to becoming Huntsmen!”

“As I told you before,” Glynda interjected. “If you don’t get to the hostel of your choosing soon, you might find it already booked up. I would move along, if I were the two of you.”

Pausing in her excited bouncing, Eirian pursed her lips in thought for a moment. 

“Good point!” With that, she grabbed Adam’s wrist and practically dragged him towards the Bullhead with surprising speed.

He could barely keep up with her. When they boarded the ship, students around them jumped out of the way to avoid being knocked down by the excitable girl. Glowering stares and grumbles faintly reached Adam’s ears, the annoyance they felt something he could relate to. 

As the Bullhead took off, Eirian glued herself to the giant window as she looked over the massive city. Giddiness could barely be contained, her feet bouncing in place while she blathered nonstop. “I love the City of Beacon. Did you know this has been Vale’s capital since the kingdom’s creation under King Aueulius? The natural cliff sides known in this part of Vale gave the capital a strong defense against the Grimm and the elements, and the Valerian Empire grew exponentially with Aueulius building his castle right where Beacon Academy stands?”

Her shaking increased as she continued. “Or that before Atlas came about, it was actually Beacon that pioneered in technology and weaponry? Imagine what it could’ve been like if Atlas didn’t have access to such vast amounts of Dust in its kingdom!”

“Do you ever shut up?”

“Not when there’s so much history and _culture_ here!” Hands sticking to the window pane, she turned her head to Adam and added. “I mean, this is where the kingdoms merge! So many cultures mixing together, how can you not get excited being here?”

“I’ll take that as a no.”

She kept going on all the way back down to the ground. 

When the ship landed and the students unboarded, Eirian practically stapled herself to Adam’s side, following after him while he tried to find one of the hostels he was told about. The city was so big. How could he find anything in the countless streets?

“I have to visit the Mistral Town soon.” Eirian babbled. “I heard that so many Mistral natives settled in that part of the city when they moved here, so all the traditional food and clothing can be bought from there. Good thing too, I’m _starving._ Are you starving too?”

“No.”

“Really? I was ready to eat a whole horse after that exam. I wonder what students from the Primary Combat Schools had to do if this is what we’re expected to already do?”

Adam tried to block out her inane chatter. As she went on and on, he found his already thin patience thinning even more, and no matter how fast he tried to walk so he would lose her, Eirian was right beside him every step of the way. 

Just before he could snap, she pointed at something with a smile. “I think that’s what we’re looking for!”

Following her finger, he was surprised to find one of the hostels that were dotted across the city. It was nothing impressive, but it was certainly a step up from boarded windows and graffitied walls that he was so used to seeing. As they came closer, he noticed a sign on the window. 

_Beacon students allowed here! Inquire further inside. ID needed._

“Perfect! Let’s hope they have some rooms left.” The dark skinned girl gasped, rushing inside with Adam in tow. 

The inside was just as unremarkable as the outside. Wooden floors bare and walls covered with antique wallpaper, there were minimalistic furniture that decorated the small waiting room off to the left of the main entrance. A musty smell wafted into their noses as soon as they came inside. It wasn’t overwhelming, but it was definitely difficult to ignore as Adam waved in front of his nose. 

“Whew… That’s a certain smell.” Eirian muttered, losing some of that sparkle and shine momentarily.

As soon as she saw the front desk, she was immediately dashing for it, leaving Adam in the dust. Blinking, he walked more slowly to the desk, watching as she hit the little bell earnestly. Light ringing echoed through the empty room. 

They didn’t have to wait long when an elderly voice called out. “Coming!”

Suddenly, a small figure walked through the door leading to a back room. Adam could barely see her from behind the desk, only able to see grey hair that had been cut into a bob, and a pair of beady eyes hidden behind a pair of thick glasses. Her fashion certainly matched the dated look of the hostel. 

Hopping up on the chair, the little old lady adjusted her glasses and welcomed the two. “Why, hello there. Can I help you?”

“Ah, well, we were wondering if you had some spare rooms for us?” Eirian asked with a nervous smile, quickly pulling her seal from one of the pouches secured tightly on her belt. “My friend and I are gonna be attending Beacon Academy this year. Here’s our seals to prove it.”

“I can tell you two are students just by looking at ya.” The old lady glanced down at Eirian’s abdomen. “You’ve seen battle already, haven’t you?”

“Ah, um… I…” All the bright energy that radiated from Eirian vanished as she awkwardly rubbed her abdomen. 

Under her hand, Adam could see what the old woman was talking about. Three deep scars torn into her dark flesh, the paler skin around healed over with stitched tying together the edges of the wounds. It didn’t look like a professional had taken a look at it ever.

While she rubbed the back of her head, Adam moved forward and snapped. “Do you have the rooms or not?”

“Such a temper! Give me a moment, young man.” She scolded, looking through a dusty old book that she pulled from a filing case sitting on the desk. 

The two teens watched her mutter to herself, running a finger through the pages. While Eirian seemed visibly nervous, Adam just seemed annoyed and cranky. His body still ached, his Aura was charging so slowly with him not taking the time to rest, and he was stuck with a human who wouldn’t leave him alone and wouldn’t _be quiet._

Thankfully, the hostel’s owner piped up with a smile. “I have a few rooms left on the second floor. Seals, please.”

Eirian and Adam handed their seals over. Taking them quickly, the old lady filed them away with others, and passed over a couple of keys gladly. “Enjoy your stay here, dears.”

“Thank you!” Eirian bowed slightly, holding her key while picking up the suitcase she had dropped onto the floor. 

Adam kept quiet as he followed her up the stairs. Creaking wood under his weight, he stayed silent, staring at the back of Eirian’s head while she led him up the old stairways. Surprisingly, she didn’t say anything. He wasn’t complaining. Actually, it was a relief after so long of her talking his ear off, but he couldn’t help but feel like something was off. 

Regardless, he couldn’t dwell on it long when someone came round the corner and collided right into Eirian. At least, that would’ve happened if they didn’t flip her over themselves and let her land straight on her back.

“ _Oof!_ ” Eirian grunted, laying there on the ground as the two stared at the newcomer.

The first thing that caught Adam’s attention were the fins sticking out of the girl’s long blue hair. Scales decorating her pale skin, she dressed herself in a blue kimono top and hakama pants, the slits in her pants showing a white jumpsuit underneath. Mistrali wear. Adam recognised it, but as she turned around to pay attention to the downed Eirian, he noticed sheathed dual knives strapped to her white belt over a navy blue obi. 

“I’m okay! I’m okay!” Eirian called out, struggling back to her feet while the girl watched her carefully. “Whew, that was a rush. Nice moves.”

The girl didn’t reply. Looking Eirian up and down, she simply passed the human without a single word uttered, making her way up the stairs while the others could only stand there.

“Nice to meet you!” Eirian called after her. After still no response, she could only awkwardly turn to Adam and shrug. “That coulda gone smoother.”

Shaking his head, he passed Eirian and walked down the hallway towards his room. Footsteps thudded behind him, that same voice calling after him as Eirian tried to grab his attention. “So, I’ll see you around, huh?”

“No.”

“Oh.” She stopped, standing there quietly before she added with a hopeful tone. “Well, I hope we see each other at school. My dad always told me that the best part of school is making friends.”

“We’re not friends.” Adam shot back, finding his door as he turned around to look at Eirian with a scowl. “Just leave me alone.”

With that, he unlocked the door and entered the bedroom. Slamming the door shut, he could finally relax in the peace and quiet, glad to have some time to himself. As he walked further into the minimalistically decorated room, he tossed his bag onto the single bed and wandered over to the window.

Outside, he could see the street below. People walked by. Talking to each other, getting shopping done, they paid no attention to the Faunus that was watching them from above. Quietly, he watched them, unable to see over the towering buildings that blocked the other streets from view.

The capital was so big. If Blake was here, it would take him a long time to find her in the sea of faces. Still, he had to hope. There was nowhere she could go. She _had_ to be here. He had to believe she was. 

Even if it takes months, years, he won’t drop his goal of finding his sister. 


	4. A New Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beacon City has many wonders. Many dangers too, and with far too much ground to cover in his continued search for Blake, Adam finds his attention pulled to the upcoming Welcome Day for Beacon's newest students. In a completely strange world full of Faunus and humans alike, he finds a particular friend in one Zanthus Nemeós, a fellow student with a colourful past. The lion Faunus is not the only one seemingly interested in the former White Fang member, with a particular human girl eager to make his acquaintance, regardless of what Adam feels about it.

The few weeks that Adam was in the city flew by. 

As the days passed, he had spent every moment of his waking hour wandering through the city. Searching through the alleyways and the slums for any lead, he found the same answers to his questions everywhere.

Ain’t seen anyone like that. 

No one had seen Blake. Every time he heard those same words, he felt a bit of his resolve vanish. There was still hope clinging on. He couldn’t let it go. She had to be somewhere, he had to keep searching. 

Even when the day turned to night and the holographic street lights lit up the empty streets, Adam kept skulking around, getting what little information he could. A few leads came up, only to be nothing or a wrong target, and he would find himself back on the streets looking again. He kept at it. Even when exhaustion left him unable to move his limbs, he kept at it. 

Finally, the day came when the students would move into the Academy and start their school year. 

Sunlight shone through the half covered windows. Bright light burning into his eyes, Adam scrunched his face up in pain and turned around, burying his face into the thick duvet while a low grumble escaped his lips. His head pounded terribly, his arms and legs ached, and his horns caught the fabric of the pillow case every time he turned over. The last one wasn’t so bad if it didn’t keep him awake as he tried to unhook it every time. 

He wouldn’t lie, the thought of staying in bed was too tempting to pass up. Eyes fluttering shut, he felt himself slowly slip back into deep sleep, at least, until a loud banging on his door jolted him awake.

Before he could shout at whoever disturbed him, a voice called out. “Adam, Adam, Adam, Adam!”

Not again. 

Stumbling out of bed, Adam made a beeline straight for his door. Grogginess and anger bubbled inside him, he could barely think a clear thought as he wrenched the door open, finding none other than Eirian standing behind it.

Hand in the air, as if she was going to knock again, she had that grin on her face again as she happily pointed out. “Oh, you’re awake!”

“This is the third time you’ve done this.” Adam snapped, gripping tightly on the door knob. “What part of ‘leave me alone’ do you not understand?”

“I know you like your alone time, but I just wanted to tell you that the ships are starting to ferry students up to the Academy. We gotta hurry or we’ll be late!”

“Late? For what?”

Eirian shot him a shocked look, her hands held up in the air as she gasped. “For wh- The opening speech! Professor Ozpin always starts the school year with a speech to the first years!”

Adam said nothing at that. Glaring at her, his gaze turned even more heated when she grabbed his hand. “Come on, if we don’t get there on time, we’ll miss the speech and a chance to meet new people!”

“Why don’t you go, then?” He shot back, snatching his hand away. “I’m not interested in a speech.”

“But if you miss it, you’ll miss the chance to hear from the Headmaster himself!”

Adam could barely get a word in as she continued babbling. “If we don’t hear what he has to say, then we could be missing out on something that’ll make us the best Huntsmen we can be, and then we won’t pass, and then we’ll have to go home ashamed and make a living outta selling fish and coconuts!”

“You have a lot riding on this.”

“Yes, so we have to go now!” She was hopping in place.

Watching her jumping in excitement annoyed Adam further. He was tired, sore, and wanted to do anything but go to a school full of people and listen to someone drone on about how good and righteous Huntsmen were. 

With a blank look, he closed the door with a sharp. “No thanks.”

He thought Eirian would’ve continued knocking on his door. He braced for it, but rather than loud knocking and her voice vibrating through the entire hostel, all he could hear was her muffled voice call out weakly. 

“Right, I’ll… I’ll save you a seat when you get there.” Don’t bother.

Left alone, Adam glanced over at the bed that was left unmade. The duvet crumpled up from where he flung it off himself, he sighed tiredly and wandered over to make it. 

It wasn’t a strenuous task. Once it was done and the pillow flipped over to hide the tears from his horns, Adam got to packing his things to get ready to leave. Few clothes he had were packed away, hiding the mask that he had hidden right at the bottom of his bag, barely visible underneath all his other possessions. 

Over the couple of weeks he had spent in the city, Adam didn’t dare to take it out once. He had wanted to. The familiar feeling and comfort it brought to him was difficult to ignore, but he had to be careful. 

Zipping up his bag, he turned his attention to getting ready for the day. The clothes he had been wearing for weeks were laid on the back of a chair, completely dried after he washed them in the shared laundry room of the hostel. Grateful that they were no longer smelling of sweat, blood and dirt, he hurriedly got dressed.

It was a bit of a hassle with the one sleeved kimono shirt and the overcoat tunic, but as he fastened the belt around his waist, he was nearly ready to go. As he stared at the dusty mirror that was hanging off the wall, he slipped on the one long glove onto his right hand, fiddling with the ring that sat snugly on his ring finger. It was hard to look at his reflection sometimes.

Well, if her fashion is anything like yours, I’m guessing Northern Mistral.

Why did he base what he wore off her? What good would it have done after she left him all alone?

Why did he miss her?

Shaking his head free of those thoughts, he turned away from the mirror and picked his bag up from the ground. With it slung over his shoulder, he opened the curtain and took one last look at the cleaned up room around him. Everything looked unlived in. 

Nothing else left to do, he took his belongings and left the room quickly. Out in the hall, he could see a few of the students that were living on his floor leaving, and thankfully, Eirian was nowhere in sight. At least he didn’t have to deal with her ramblings after so little sleep. Honestly, Adam didn’t think he’d have the strength to cope. 

Those that were packing their things up and getting them out of their rooms ignored Adam as he wandered past. Paying them no attention, he got to the steep staircase, moving to walk down them when he felt something bump into him from behind. His foot slipped, and all he could see was the ground coming straight for him as he tried to brace himself. 

The impact never came. Opening his eyes, Adam found himself suspended in the air with a tight grip on the back of his tunic. Quickly, he glanced around with a snarl. “Watch where you’re going!”

There, he saw those same slit pupils staring at him. 

A nervous grin on Zanthus’ face, he pulled Adam up to the top of the stairs and laughed. “Sorry ‘bout that. You’re really unlucky, huh?”

“You were the one who ran into me this time.”

“Heh… you’re not wrong.” He rubbed the back of his head, ears slightly folded backwards. “I was just about to head out for the ship. Need someone to walk with?”

“I prefer to walk alone.” Adam shot back, walking down the stairs with a hand holding tightly onto his bag strap.

Quickly, he found himself with a companion again as Zanthus appeared beside him. “By the way, glad to see you passed the exam too. I saw you around the hostel these past few weeks, but honestly, you looked like you wanted to be alone.”

“I did.”

“Well, that’s a shame.” Zanthus shrugged. “It’s great to have some personal time, but being alone all the time isn’t good for you. Makes people go mad.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Every response from Adam was practically dripping in sarcasm. What was it with everyone here and wanting to glue themselves to him? Did he look like he was on the market for a new best friend?

When they reached the desk on the ground floor, Zanthus turned his attention to the old lady sitting behind it. “Thanks for the stay. Here’s your room key.”

“Oh, thank you.” She smiled, taking the keys. “I hope you enjoyed your stays?”

“Definitely. The room was pretty nice.” Zanthus complimented, flashing a toothy smile. “Thank you for the hospitality and allowing us to stay here.”

“Anything for what Beacon and Professor Ozpin is doing.” Adjusting her glasses, the old lady added softly. “Such a good boy. You remind me of my cat I had when I was a child. My little Snowflake was always a troublemaker.”

Ears folding back slightly, Zanthus could only chuckle nervously. “Right…”

Even with the old lady happy to reminisce, the comparison between Zanthus and her pet cat had Adam more than a little heated. Frown deepening into a scowl, he snapped. “He’s not your cat.”

“Oh, I know that. He just reminds me so much of Snowflake. Especially the ears.”

Zanthus’ ears were so flat now that they were practically hidden in his thick hair. 

“He ain’t your pet. Faunus aren’t the same as the animals you keep in your house.” Adam’s tone was harsher than before. “Do you even know how insensitive your comment is?”

“I-I, well…” The old lady stammered.

From beside him, Zanthus piped up with another nervous laugh. “It’s okay.”

“It’s not. I’m sick of this.” Tossing his own key on the desk, Adam spun around on his heel and stormed out of the hostel.

He didn’t even hear Zanthus called for him. Anger made his blood boil, his thoughts focusing on the comment and the human who said it. So many times, he had heard their kind ridicule his people, those jokes about who they were thrown at him for as long as he could remember. Cruel jabs that made him feel ashamed and hide his growing horns away.

The children were cruel, but the adults were monsters.

Get him! We're gonna teach this little calf a lesson in respecting his owners!

He gritted his teeth as those words echoed in the back of his mind. 

Ignoring the people that passed him in the streets, he made a straight line for where the ships were docked, ready to take the students up the sheer cliff edge. As he passed around a corner, he heard a voice call out for him and a hand grab hold of his shoulder.

“Stop, man!” 

Adam looked over his shoulder with a deathly glare, seeing Zanthus behind him with an annoyed look on his face.

“You didn’t have to do that.” He scolded, turning Adam around so that the latter was facing him. “The hell’s wrong with you? Yelling at an old woman like that?”

“What’s wrong with me? She compared you to her pet cat, why doesn’t that upset you?!” Adam snapped back. 

Shaking hands bundled into fists, he stood there practically shaking with rage, staring at Zanthus as the other boy looked down at the ground. Ears swivelling around anxiously, he barely noticed the tail behind the feline Faunus swishing around. 

“It did. Kinda.” He scratched a spot under his chin nervously. “Either way, putting her on the spot like that didn’t help matters. She didn’t mean it in a horrible way.”

“That doesn’t make it better.”

“And your response did? You didn’t exactly tell her why she was wrong besides making her feel horrible and leave.”

Adam’s glare turned darker at that. “It’s not exactly my responsibility to teach humans not to compare us to animals.”

“It’s not, but you can’t hate people for making mistakes.” Looking off into the distance, Zanthus frowned deeply and sighed. “I don’t want to argue about this. Let’s just go.”

That was something Adam could agree with. 

Silent, the two of them walked the streets of the capital towards the ship docking station. Every once in a while, Adam snuck a glance at his companion, spotting that fur tipped tail swishing with each step he took, hidden away by the long red cape that swayed in the breeze. Even with the neutral expression on his face, Adam noticed the slight furrow of the other boy’s eyebrow.

Even when they reached the ship dock, the argument was still fresh in their minds. Zanthus never said anything. Rather, he turned his attention to the giant cliff that the Academy was situated on top of.

“I wouldn’t want to scale that thing before ships existed.” He pointed out, rubbing the back of his head with a nervous chuckle.

Adam nodded in agreement. “Apparently, this was where the castle of King Aueulius sat.”

“You read that from a book?” Zanthus joked, a wavy smirk on his face.

“Not quite.” 

He left it at that. That small snippet of information came out of nowhere, but he could hear it repeated back to him in that familiar, annoying voice.

Shaking his head free of those thoughts, he instead looked ahead at the students that were funnelling into the grounded ships. The building itself gave some protection from dreary weather, the grey clouds circling above their heads warning of incoming rain. Many students had already piled themselves onto the ships, chattering and laughing with the carefree energies carrying over to Zanthus.

A bright smile on his face, he turned to Adam and asked. “Does this feel like a dream to you, too? Like, this is really it. We’re really here.”

“I wouldn’t start jumping for joy yet.” Adam replied flatly, pointing to the ships. “We gotta actually board one before they get packed up.”

“Right, right.” He laughed at that, playing with one of his ears. 

It was almost cute. The thought passed quickly through Adam’s mind, but he paid it no attention when Zanthus continued. “I know you said you’d rather be alone, but you sure you don’t wanna walk to school with me?”

“...Sure.” Even though Adam rolled his one visible eye at the dopey way Zanthus asked him, he still accepted the offer. Maybe walking with another Faunus wouldn’t be so bad. 

Pleased, the two quickly made their way over to the nearest ship. 

It wasn’t as packed as Adam thought. Students stood around in the interior, staring out of the windows while having small talk with their friends. It was certainly less hectic than the first trip Adam took up to the Academy. It seemed that those who were there knew better than to approach him, but he still noticed the glances and whispers as he and Zanthus passed them by. 

Anger and embarrassment went hand in hand as they swirled in his stomach. Uncomfortable twisting that had his teeth gritting together and his fingernails digging into the skin of his palms. He had the urge to turn around and demand to know what they were talking about, to see what had them so interested in the two Faunus, but a nudge in his side turned Adam’s attention away from the humans.

“That girl over there,” Zanthus muttered, pointing over at a girl standing in the corner of the ship. “Wonder why she’s on her own.”

Adam paused. Staring at the girl too, he raised an eyebrow in surprise. “I’ve seen her before.”

“Really? You know her?”

“Well, our first meeting wasn’t exactly the friendliest.” Adam quickly confessed, adding when Zanthus looked at him in confusion. “Back in the hostel, she flipped this human onto her back while we were trying to find our rooms.”

“Ouch.”

“Stupid girl wasn’t looking where she was going.” 

Wandering towards the window, Adam stared out of it, half expecting to see Eirian among the crowds of humans and Faunus. When he couldn’t find that dark face or those red eyes anywhere, he turned his attention back to Zanthus, who had made himself comfortable on the floor right next to him. 

“You alright down there?” He asked quietly.

Holding his knees up to his chest, Zanthus’ once tanned skin turned a sickly grey. He seemed almost dead, if not for his ears pressed flat against his head, and his tail wrapped around his feet. 

“I, uh…” He gulped. “I’m not the biggest fan of flying.”

“Do… Do you need something to help?” Adam didn’t even have anything that could help.

“Just tell me when we’re there.” With that, he buried his face in between his legs. 

Thankfully, Adam didn’t have to deal with anything like that. He was honestly pretty lucky as he stared down at Zanthus. Poor guy was not having a good time, and he could only pitifully moan when the ship finally took off. 

Low humming echoed through the ship. People kept their voices low, being mindful of others that were trying to deal with the sickening motion of the ship, and others who just wanted some quiet time before facing the daunting school for the first time. Glancing around at a few other people, Adam couldn’t help but notice a lot of the Faunus students sticking together. A few humans could be seen in the groups, but it was impossible to ignore the coincidence. 

It was something that didn’t surprise him, Adam ignoring the groups as he silently stared out of the window. Even high in the air, the city looked impossibly big, stretching for miles and miles in every direction from the cliff. 

From beside him, he heard footsteps coming towards him, though with Zanthus on his left side, he couldn’t see anything until he fully turned his head

Standing right by the sick lion, the same girl they noticed before stared down at him silently. There was nothing in those purple eyes. Focused, sharp, he couldn’t even figure out what she was thinking or feeling from her blank expression. 

Without a word, she dug into her purse and pulled out a small packet. What was it?

While Adam watched in confusion, she placed a hand on Zanthus’ shoulder, trying to get his attention without saying anything. Ears pricked up at the touch, with squinted eyes glancing up at the girl. 

“Oh. Do you want something?” He asked weakly, trying desperately not to vomit.

She didn’t reply, instead taking Zanthus’ gloved hand and slipping something into it. As he pulled away and looked down, his ears twitched, and all he could come up with was. “Is… Is this mint?”

The girl nodded. 

Looking back down at it, Zanthus popped it into his mouth and chewed slowly. He seemed unsure. 

“Have you never had gum before?” Adam asked from beside him.

“Uh… Not really.” Ears folded back slightly, he quickly changed the subject back to the girl. “Thanks. I’m Zanthus, by the way, and this is Adam.”

He gestured back to the taller teen. With those eyes right on him, Adam couldn’t help but feel a bit awkward. They were just staring, and with nothing being spoken on her part, he didn’t even know what to add to the conversation. 

Thankfully, Zanthus seemed to pull his weight in the conversation department. “So, you wanna tell us your name?”

She seemed slightly taken aback by the question. Glancing off to the side for a moment, Zanthus and Adam exchanged looks with the former still chewing on his mint gum, shrugging his shoulders in silent response. 

Before she could respond,, however, a familiar voice called out from behind them. “Welcome, new students.

Glancing over, Adam saw the same hologram of Glynda that welcomed the applicants weeks before. She seemed even more strict than before, if that was even possible, as she continued instructing the students standing around her. 

“As the newest additions to our Academy, it is my duty to welcome all and to lay down the rules before your initiation tomorrow.” With a pause, she pushed her spectacles further up her nose. “You all have been given a privilege to study here. Many before you had applied to our Academy and were rejected. As such, I expect each and every one of you to hold yourself up with the honour and grace that is befitting for Beacon.”

That was certainly one way to tell a bunch of seventeen year olds to behave themselves.

“So, when the ship lands, you all will make your way to the Main Hall where you had applied for previously. Professor Ozpin shall be waiting there to give you a speech and further instructions.” 

From within the crowd, Adam overheard someone pipe up. “It’s just a hologram. She can’t really see what we’re doing.”

“On the contrary,” she stared right at the boy who made the mistake of talking. “I, and our Headmaster, know plenty that goes on within our walls. I suggest you behave yourself, as we will be keeping an especially close eye on you.”

Face flushed red with embarrassment, the boy slinked back into his group of friends as they snickered at him. 

Smirking at the amusing display, Adam watched as the hologram fizzled out. All around him went back to talking to their friends. Eager about the incoming landing, many started to move towards the windows, practically pressing their faces into the glass to try and get a glimpse of their new home for the next four years.

Zanthus wasn’t one of them. Poor boy was practically green, he went back to his previous position with his head buried between his legs, comforted by the girl’s gentle pats on his back. Adam only gave them a few brief glances before the ship started to descend. He wouldn’t lie, the hitting realisation that he was there felt like butterflies in his stomach. 

So much uncertainty, he was fearful about what he would face as soon as he stepped down from the ship. 

Finally, the ship landed on the edge of the cliff. Everyone was silent. Breath held, they eagerly moved forward as soon as the doors opened and fresh air flowed inside the Bullhead. Before Adam could even take a step, he was pushed out of the way by a frantic Zanthus, his hand clamped over his mouth as he rushed outside. 

Behind him, the girl followed gracefully. Adam watched her go, intrigued by the mysterious aura she gave off, but she had already vanished by the time he unboarded the Bullhead. 

He wasn’t alone for long. Looking off to the right, he found Zanthus chucking up his guts into a nearby trash can. Not really an image one would think of when they thought of a Huntsman in training. 

Approaching him, the Bull Faunus placed a hand on the other’s back. “You doing alright, there?”

“I. Hate. Flying.” Each word was punctuated with a retch. 

“Could’ve been worse.” Adam shrugged. “You coulda climbed it.”

“Shut up.”

A low chuckle was Adam’s only response. He waited patiently until Zanthus was well enough to pull himself away from the trash can. Once he got a good look at the other teen, Adam was surprised to see how much of an effect the short flight had on Zanthus. 

“I take it the mint didn’t help much, huh?” Zanthus shook his head. “Can’t have everything. Let’s get to the Main Hall, otherwise I fear we might have to deal with Professor Goodwitch’s wrath.”

That was certainly something he could do without, and by the look on Zanthus’ face, it was something he wanted to avoid too. 

So, they headed towards the building together. Everyone else had already made their way there, rushing together in tightly knit groups of friends, but a few stragglers were still outside as they took in the Academy around them. Architecture wasn’t something on Adam’s list of priorities. If he had seen something once, that was all that was needed. Seeing the same thing again and again was just tedious. 

Before they could reach the Main Hall, however, someone skidded into Adam’s view. A few feet away from him, he couldn’t hide the displeasure on his face when that voice called out again. “You made it!”

Eirian blocked his way into the building. That same grin on her face, she rushed towards the duo while Zanthus could only stand there in confusion.

“Uh…” he started, leaning closer to Adam. “You know her?”

“Unfortunately.”

“I was beginning to worry that you’d miss the speech!” Eirian confessed as she stopped right in front of the teenage boys. “Honestly, you seemed pretty tired before, so I was ready to take notes for you to read later in case you couldn’t make it.”

“That’s pretty sweet.” Zanthus smiled.

Eyes glancing over at him, Eirian rubbed the back of her head while laughing nervously. “Oh, I didn’t know you brought a friend.”

Adam didn’t know if friends was certainly the word to describe it. Silent, he only scowled while Eirian held her hand out to Zanthus with a smile. “I’m Eirian, by the way.”

“Zanthus.” He replied, shaking Eirian’s hand with a chuckle. “You’re pretty excited for this speech, huh? I just thought it’d be a little welcoming thing for the new students.”

“You could say that. Honestly, I’ve been excited to meet Professor Ozpin eversince I left home.” Eirian confessed. “My dad didn’t go to Beacon, but he always told me how amazing the Headmaster of Beacon was. I can’t wait to hear what he has to teach us!”

“Does Professor Ozpin even teach any of the classes?” Zanthus asked.

Eirian paused, her jumping about stopped while she pursed her lips in thought. “Actually, now that you mentioned it, Headmasters don’t exactly teach classes.”

All that preppy energy vanished in an instant. Instead, Eirian was practically folded over, as if standing was too much energy for her now. Even the bright Aura she gave off was dull and grey, like a small storm cloud had formed above only her.

“I really wanted to learn so much from him…”

“Don’t worry about it.” Zanthus comforted, placing a hand on her shoulder. “There’s still plenty of capable professors here to teach us.”

Suddenly, Eirian shot back up, that bright smile back as she nodded. “Right, right! I hope it’s Professor Goodwitch!”

“Weren't you scared of her last time?” Adam piped up.

“Shhhhhhh!” Eirian hushed, a finger on her lips as she added. “Not so loud. This is enemy territory.”

Adam’s eyes glanced up at the tower in the background, returning his gaze at Eirian as he countered dryly. “It’s a school.”

“Okay, you have a point.” She backed off again, glancing over her shoulder at the open doors leading into the Main Hall. 

Adam barely saw her move until she was holding onto his arm, practically wrenching him forward while babbling again. “Come on, let’s go and find a seat before we end up at the back!”

“Will you stop grabbing me?!” Adam snapped, pulling his arm free of Eirian’s grip. 

The harsh motion had Eirian stunned, standing there with wide eyes while Adam continued to rip into her. “Don’t you get it?! I’m not your friend, I don’t want your notes, I don’t want you near me!”

“Adam…” Zanthus tried to interject.

“No, I’m not going to stand here and buy into her disillusion about being her friend!” Turning his attention completely on Eirian, he added with a bitter tone. “Leave me alone, human. Or next time I won’t be so nice.”

The devastation on her face was nothing like the other times Adam shouted or ripped into her. While he expected such a delicate person to start crying, Eirian simply lowered her hands with a saddened gaze, though in there he could see familiarity in it. Was she used to it before him?

Unable to look him in the eyes, Eirian scratched at the skin of her thumb and mumbled. “Sorry.”

With that, she turned around and wandered into the hall by herself. Adam’s anger was too much. Bubbling over the edge, he couldn’t feel anything else at that moment, but he quickly found that he was not the only one angry at the situation.

“What the hell’s wrong with you?” Zanthus snapped.

“What? You saw what she was like with me, she’s been bothering me for weeks!” Adam shot back, pointing in the direction that Eirian walked off in. “She wouldn’t leave me alone even after I told her!”

“I’m not talking about that. Was bringing up the fact that she’s a human really necessary?”

“What should I call her, then? And why do you even care about what I call her? You’re a Faunus, anyway.” That last comment made Zanthus frown deeply. 

“I am, but at least I’m not going around insulting every human who walks by me.” He shot back, ears pulled completely back as he added. “I’ve seen how you look at the other students. What have they done that makes you hate them so much?”

At that moment, the pain from his hidden scar became ever so present. It was impossible to ignore. All he could do was focus on his anger instead, finding it pushing that pain and shame to the back of his mind.

“They’ve done enough.” He spat venomously.

Standing there in front of him, Zanthus looked like he was seeing a completely different person. Pupils glancing over Adam, he shook his head and turned around, walking away from Adam while sighing. “Whatever. I’m going inside.”

There, Adam stood alone. Overflowing with anger and confusion, he couldn’t get his thoughts straight, unable to understand why Zanthus was acting the way he was. He did nothing wrong. He wanted Eirian to leave him alone and he did, it wasn’t his fault she couldn’t handle it. After everything that happened, he owed nothing to a human’s feelings. They weren't his priorities. 

He couldn’t stand there steaming forever. With an angered huff, he followed after the rest of the students that were piling into the hall.

Without all the desks and holographic secretaries sitting behind computers to take in applications, the hall certainly looked bigger. Still, despite its size, the whole space was packed with students. Groups of chattering teenagers waiting patiently for their Headmaster to appear, Adam glanced up at the elevated stage to see no one standing there.

Wandering through the crowds, he spotted Zanthus in the sea of faces. For a moment, he thought of joining him, wondering if the argument from before had messed up whatever friendship they were starting to build. A part of him didn’t want to care, but it was still difficult. No one liked being truly alone. 

Any attempt to approach the lion Faunus stopped when he saw Eirian sitting next to him. Silent, Adam watched as the two talked to each other, laughing and joking while Eirian looked like she was telling some elaborate tale. 

Any disappointment was washed away with anger and bitterness. Adam looked away, trying to justify his feelings in any way he could. Zanthus made his choice. If he wanted to be some human’s pet, that had nothing to do with Adam. He didn’t care. He tried not to care.

Thankfully, the whole crowd went silent when someone appeared on the stage. Looking back at it, Adam saw Ozpin making his way to the standing microphone. 

With some feedback as soon as he spoke into it, Ozpin adjusted his glasses and started. “As I’m sure you are all very eager to settle down into our Academy, I will keep this brief.”

No one dared to speak when he did. Even with just one man, he radiated this energy that made others want to listen. A true leader, and Adam had met plenty with that type of aura to know.

“You all know of the four Academies such as this one. Four sanctuaries that teach our people to fight against the Grimm, but fighting is not the only thing I wish to teach you during your time here.” He paused, moving his head in a sweeping motion to see all of the students in the hall. “As I look upon you all today, I see young minds full of hope and dreams. That hope will be one of your driving forces here, but you must also be realistic, as hope itself can only carry you half of the way.”

Adam glanced over at Eirian and Zanthus, finding them listening closely to every word the Headmaster was saying.

“The true path to success is through hard work, faith, and a little bit of luck. Some of you may fail, but failure isn’t the end, and you don’t need to treat your failure as something that will haunt you for the rest of your days.”

This wasn’t exactly uplifting.

Even Ozpin’s voice turned somber at that. Thankfully, the speech turned more uplifting as he continued. “Still, that is a lesson you all need time to learn. For now, take a moment to rest and prepare yourselves, as the real challenges will begin tomorrow.”

With that, he backed away from the microphone, allowing Glynda to take over the conversation as she replaced him in the spot at the forefront. 

“Now,” she started. “All new students will be housed in the Residential Halls until after the Initiation tomorrow. There, you and three others in your team will be given a dorm room for your first two years here in Beacon.”

Her hand, holding a long, slender crop that was wrapped in black leather, pointed towards the doors. On her silent command, every student there got up to their feet and moved towards the exit, forming a giant crowd that Adam couldn’t help but get swept up in. 

The walk to the Residential Halls was a slow and lonely one. No one around him paid Adam any attention, too caught up in talking about Ozpin’s speech and what their new life in Beacon would be like. Walking amongst them, Adam too found himself fixated on what the Headmaster meant by his speech.

Even with the uplifting end, some of his speech sounded… tired. A familiar experience that guided his words, especially with the topic of failure coming up. There was something there. Hidden away from everyone’s sight. 

It was something to focus on. 

When they finally reached the giant building that they were guided towards, Adam kept to himself as he thought through his suspicions. There was no way he’d figure it all out right there and then. On top of that, he had other worries to give his attention to, including the growingly impossible search for Blake.

On top of lessons and training, the time that he could give to the search was cut drastically. It was a bitter truth that he found difficulty in swallowing. 

Most of the day was spent with people wandering around their new school, meeting their new professors and getting a layout of the school itself. Adam didn’t bother with any of that. While everyone was out and about, he found a comfortable and quiet spot in one of the rooms that was given to the new students and set up his temporary sleeping spot for the incoming night.

With a sleeping mat that the Academy had issued, he sat far away from the rest of the beds, hiding in one of the room’s corners with a book in hand. 

It wasn’t his. A romance novel detailing a warrior and his target reveling in their forbidden love, Adam wondered how Blake could ever enjoy such trashy novels. It was one of the only ones he had, and pretending to be reading did wonders in telling people to leave him in peace. 

As the light vanished from the giant windows and night slowly settled in, people began funnelling into the rooms after their day of familiarizing themselves with their school. Adam ignored their inane chatter and tried to focus on his book. He didn’t even know what was going on, and honestly? 

He wasn’t a fan.

Sadly, even with others trying to keep quiet for those who were trying to get an early night, Adam could hear a feminine voice sigh loudly. “Man, this school’s massive!”

His one uncovered eye peered over the top of his book. Much to his annoyance, Eirian entered the room with Zanthus in tow. 

Neither of them were in their day clothes anymore. While Zanthus forgoed the fur trimmed cape and his chest piece, Eirian was in a completely different outfit. Her white tank top was instead swapped for a white shirt that hung off one shoulder and stretched past her hips, barely showing the black shorts she was wearing underneath.

Toothbrush in hand, she was waving it absentmindedly while babbling on at her friend. Though Adam couldn’t quite make it out with Eirian’s voice lowering, Zanthus didn’t seem as annoyed or bothered as he was. Actually, he seemed pretty at ease with her.

Whatever. It was none of Adam’s business.

Trying to go back to his book, he heard some shuffling from beside him. Annoyance made him sigh out loud, looking over to snap at whoever was coming over to him. However, his words stopped before he could even say them, with the person beside him being none other than that girl from the ship.

“Uh…” Adam started, watching as she settled down on her sleeping mat just a foot or so from him. “Why’re you coming over here?”

She wasn’t even looking at him, rather smoothing out her blanket until it was to her liking. An eyebrow raised, Adam poked the girl in the back and repeated himself. “Hello?”

She jerked at the touch. Head spinning around, she frowned deeply at him, saying nothing as he tried to ask again. “There’s plenty of space everywhere else. Go over there.”

His demands fell on deaf ears as she sat down on her feet, looking down at the book in Adam’s hands. Following her gaze, he looked down at his book before looking back up, noticing her pointing at another book that she was holding. Slowly, he took the book from her and gave it a closer inspection. 

It was certainly a similar genre to the one he had. The cover was impeccably clean, with clear sellotape covering every inch of the cover and the back. She certainly didn’t want it to get dirty. On the front, the title Warrior’s Love I was engraved into it, matching his own one.

Inspecting his own, only then did Adam noticed the title itself. Warrior’s Love II.

That might’ve been why he had no idea what was going on.

“You wanna borrow this one?” He asked, holding up his own while the girl sat there.

She nodded, a small smile on her face. It wasn’t something Adam particularly wanted to do. Even if he hated it and didn’t get the story, it was Blake’s. It was one of the few things he had left that was hers. 

Still, seeing how well taken care of the other book was, he could perhaps borrow it to her. Seeing her sitting there patiently, he sighed quietly and handed it over. “Here. Only for tonight, and I want it back the same way I gave it to you.”

The girl bowed her head and took the book with both hands. While she settled down on her sleeping mat, Adam picked up the one that she gave him, looking over it before flicking through the pages. On the very front page, he saw handwriting in the corner of the page.

Property of Ruri Kashima.

“Ruri? Is that your name?” He asked, turning to the girl to find her watching him intently.

Eyes fixated on his face, she nodded at his question. Without missing a beat, Adam added in an amused tone. “You don’t really talk, do you?”

A shake of her head. 

With a deep chuckle, Adam returned to his book. “The perfect reading buddy, then.”

Neither of them moved from their spots as they read silently. Everyone around them kept to themselves, talking in hushed voices while others slept soundly around them. Every now and then, Adam could hear Eirian or Zanthus chatting to each other, keeping quiet so not to disturb anyone. 

Sometimes, he found himself looking over at them, curious to what they were doing. Every time he looked away, scolding himself while focusing on the book in front of him. He still didn’t get what was going on. Maybe romance just wasn’t his genre. 

As the hours passed by, more and more of the students around him fell asleep. Even he could feel the heavy weight of tiredness sit on his shoulders. Eyes half open, he closed the book with a sigh and looked around the room, finding himself to be one of the few left awake. Even Eirian and Zanthus had long fallen asleep. 

Neither attempted to come over at all that night. Maybe what Adam did before finally got it into Eirian’s head to leave him alone, but knowing that Zanthus would rather be friends with a human had Adam bristling with anger. He tried to control himself. Late at night, it was no time to be boiling with rage, especially when he too had to get some sleep. 

From beside him, he saw Ruri curled up on her mat, a hand under her pillow and a hand on top of her borrowed book protectively. 

Slowly, Adam swapped the books around, returning Ruri’s book while taking back his own. He didn’t plan on reading it. Rather, he put it back into his bag that was sitting right next to his map, fishing out the letters that he found back at the White Fang camp. 

Crumpled from being in his bag for weeks on end, he smoothed out them all and spent some more of his night reading through each and every one of them. Knowing that Blake was like this and he had no idea, it stung terribly. Yet there was a thought in the back of his mind, a part of himself that blamed him for all that went wrong. If he had been more attentive, if he had been a better brother, if he was stronger, smarter, wiser, none of this would’ve happened. 

He blamed himself and blamed everyone else with the same breath. His actions on the train stuck with him, unable to be washed away no matter how hard he tried. 

Piling all the letters together, he left them in his bag and settled down on the sleeping mat. Amongst so many people, he still felt so lonely, staring off into the darkness with snores echoing through the room. 

It was impossible for him to sleep. Too many thoughts, doubts, niggling feelings dug into him. So many distractions that he couldn’t even think straight. He just had to close his eyes and try. As soon as he felt himself slip away, explosions and screaming rang in his ears, the sharp pain in his face burned and the hate filled words spat at him echoed in the still air.

Still, he had to try and ignore them. 

He prayed he didn’t have to see those horrified eyes again in his dreams.


	5. Unlikely Partnerships

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Initiation has finally arrived. Britsling from past arguments and the new loneliness he had yet to grow accustomed to, Adam takes to the exam as well as everyone else. Thrown into the Emerald Forest, teeming with dangerous Grimm, he has to learn to accept help wherever it comes, and that partnerships can come from the most unlikely of people.

Initiation day. Everyone had woken up with it on their minds, readying themselves physically and mentally for whatever the Academy would be throwing at them. 

Dressed, fed and ready to deal with the tests ahead, Adam wandered through the school absentmindedly. Around him, students were talking about what they would expect. A monotonous drone hummed around him. He didn’t pay attention to what they were saying, focusing all his energy on preparing himself, even if his mind wandered at times. 

The Academy was  _ massive.  _ Maybe not taking the day to get a layout of the land was not a wise decision on his part, but whether Adam liked it or not, he landed himself in the situation. Soon enough, he found himself completely on his own, having wandered off from the group of students while deep in thought.

Great.

Thankfully, his aimless wandering didn’t go unnoticed. A hand gently touching his shoulder, he turned around to find Ruri standing there with a faint smile. She definitely seemed pleased to see him. 

“You saw me running around like a headless chicken, didn’t you?” A nod. “Any chance you know the way to the locker rooms?”

Another nod, this time with that smile turning slightly amused. Without a single word, Ruri gestured for Adam to follow her with a flick of her hand, walking in the complete opposite direction that he was previously walking in. 

Jogging to her side, he walked awkwardly beside the teenage girl. Given that she didn’t talk, any chance for conversation was pretty slim, and Adam wasn’t one for small talk anyway. So, with the sun rising up from behind Beacon’s tallest tower, the two new students made their way through the courtyard towards the locker rooms. 

By the time they got there, many of the students who arrived earlier were already prepared and ready to go to the designation point on Beacon’s cliff. A few stragglers remained, rummaging through their designated lockers to arm themselves with their weapons. 

The locker rooms themselves were huge. Definitely able to house the sheer amount of students that attended Beacon, rows upon rows of lockers were set up right beside each other, creating a confusing maze of lockers and poor students unable to find their one. With high windows letting in plenty of natural light, and bright lights hanging from the ceiling above, the room was well lit enough even if it was pitch black outside. 

Following Ruri, Adam ignored the students around him, making a beeline straight for his own locker. It was difficult being separated from his weapon. Having it for so long while on the road had an effect on a person, and he couldn’t get comfortable enough that night to sleep well. Still, no weapons were allowed on a student’s body outside of designated combat training. 

Given how many teenagers were crammed in, all with different and dangerous Semblances, having them armed when a fight boiled over would not have been very wise.

As the locker door swung open, Adam found his sword propped up on the back, sheathed with the reddish black metalwork shining in the locker room’s fluorescent lights. The heavy weight of it in his hand was comforting. It brought security, and when Adam returned it to its rightful place on his belt loop, he turned to find Ruri readying herself too.

Wrapping the white belt around her waist, she tied the purple rope tightly, securing the heavy looking box to her lower back. When she turned to close her locker opposite Adam’s, he noticed those same dual knives sheathed in the box. 

As he closed his own locker, he turned to Ruri and piped up. “You look like you know how to use them.”

No response. When she turned back around, she seemed none the wiser to Adam’s compliment, rather smiling warmly and gesturing for him to follow her. Strange. He didn’t push it further, but the nagging thought stuck with him. 

Quickly enough, other distractions pulled his thoughts away. Among the few students that remained, he quickly spotted familiar faces at their own lockers, unable to hide his annoyance when that voice piped up in excitement. “And that’s not even the worst he got up to!”

Eirian wasn’t hard to spot in a crowd. Back in her combat clothes, she seemed to be strapping a curved sword to her belt while chatting away to Zanthus. With the taller boy already geared up, he was simply leaning against his locker while laughing. “There’s no way one team did all of that.”

“I’m telling you!” Eirian defended, closing her locker door with a grin. “It was in their third year, and Dad was getting ready to drop this bucket of electric eels on this team from Beacon, but then Atlas’ headmaster came in and-”

Her story fell short when she noticed Adam and Ruri walking towards them. Her smile faded slightly at the sight of the Bull Faunus, but when she noticed his female companion next to him, her cheeriness returned and she beamed brightly.

“Hey, you’re that girl from the motel!” She gasped, rushing right in front of Ruri with a grin. “It’s so nice to meet you without being thrown on the floor! Those were some sick moves back there, you know? Think you can teach me?”

The energy radiating from her had Ruri backing off, looking put off and confused while Eirian rambled on. “I’d been practicing some hand to hand myself, but you were so fluid and awesome! Was that Mistrilian Judo? I saw so many professional fighters while I was there, I’d love to study someone up close-!”

“Slow down before you blow a fuse, Eirian.” Zanthus chided, placing a hand on her shoulder to calm the vibrating girl.

Slowing to a complete stop, Eirian still had that excited expression on her face, but it was more subdued, controlled. With Zanthus’ hand remaining on her shoulder, he turned his attention to Adam. 

“So, you made a new friend?” His ears flicked for a moment.

“I’d like to think so.” Adam shot back, crossing his arms as he glanced over at Eirian. “I see you’ve made some  _ friends  _ yourself.”

The way he spat the word friends out so venomously had Zanthus on the defensive. Ears folding back, he pulled the nervous Eirian closer to himself, not letting the anger he was clearly feeling bubble up when he threw Adam’s words back. “Yeah, I’d like to think so.”

That bubbling sensation returned with a vengeance. Twisting anger in his gut, Adam turned his sights to Eirian, finding her slinking back into Zanthus with clear apprehension. With him staring her down, she glanced away with a finger playing with one of her thick dreads. 

The air was thick with negativity. Both Adam and Zanthus refused to back down, though while Adam was practically steaming and ready for a fight, Zanthus’ anger was cold, precise. He made no move to close the gap between the two teenage boys, but the way those slit pupils stared straight into Adam’s eyes, it felt like he was staring straight into Adam’s soul.

He wasn’t playing around, and Adam knew that deep down. 

Surprisingly, it wasn’t Zanthus or Eirian that tried to end the confrontation. From beside Adam, he felt a hand hold onto his arm, pulling him away with no hesitation as Ruri herself moved in front of him. 

Hands raised non-threateningly, she approached Zanthus and placed a hand on his shoulder, watching him silently while he looked down at the hand touching him. Even when no words of comfort were spoken, he visibly relaxed and nodded. “Alright.”

Clenched fists loosened and shoulders no longer tense, he turned to Eirian and sighed. “Come on, we’re gonna be late if we waste any more of our time here.”

She didn’t say anything. When Zanthus turned around and walked off to where all the students were called to, she paused, glancing back at Adam and Ruri with a somber expression. For a moment, he was ready for whatever stupid thing she was going to say, but then she smiled sadly and muttered. “Good luck.”

With that, she left as well. 

Adam stood there dumbfounded, wondering internally what she meant by that. It was just like when they first met, that day they both applied for Beacon, and she tried to give him that  _ good luck  _ charm. Did she look down on him so much that she’d give him pity points? Did he look like he needed luck?

Even with other motives pushing the small exchange, Adam could only focus on the negatives. It was like a blindfold wrapped tightly around his eyes. It blinded him, making him unable to see anything that was good, but deep down, that blindfold slipped a little, and he found himself spurred on to take the Initiation and prove himself. 

Ruri waited patiently beside him, saying nothing even when he finally made a move to leave the locker room and get to where the Initiation was taking place. It was much appreciated. He needed the silence to think. 

The walk to the cliffside was surprisingly short. By the time Adam and Ruri had made it, all the other students were waiting in a single line. A few glanced at the latecomers for a moment, but said nothing and quickly turned their attention back to Professor Ozpin, the influential man standing in front of them with his back to the cliff’s edge. 

Facing away from the city, Adam glanced around the professor to see nothing but green forests that spanned for miles. Dense foliage that covered all sorts of creatures who lurked within. The dark aura it gave off made him somewhat nervous, and when he looked around at the other students with him, he could see that same apprehension no matter how well they hid it. 

Finally, with Ruri and Adam joining the group, Ozpin began to speak. “As you might know, we here at Beacon hold an initiation for students to prove their skills in a range of different scenarios.”

He paused, looking at the teenagers before him with a soft chuckle. “Unsurprisingly, I know that some of you had gone to the older years in hopes of finding out information. I’m impressed, but the exam changes every year with that precise matter in mind. Outside of this Academy, you will find no chances in preparing yourself for what might happen.”

A few of the students muttered amongst themselves. Meanwhile, Adam scolded himself mentally for not taking the time to try and figure out what he was about to be thrown into. It was a rookie mistake. 

“Still, it was smart, and those of you who’ve shown that will to learn will want to keep that for the years to come.” Nursing a white mug in his hand, Ozpin took a sip and continued. “Today, you all will be sent into the Emerald Forest, and are tasked to work together to escape through the other side.”

“You all will be examined on multiple factors.” Glynda jumped in, watching the students with a stern gaze from Ozpin’s side. “Teamwork, fighting abilities, leadership and adaptability.”

“Precisely. The Emerald Forest is teeming with many types of Grimm. You must be willing to do whatever it takes for you and your team to survive, or you  _ will  _ die.” Ozpin’s voice turned serious at that moment. 

A chill descended on everyone. The reality of what they were about to do finally set in, and even Adam himself felt some apprehension in going into the forest. His pride never allowed him to admit it, pushing down those feelings to the depths where he couldn’t feel them, but so many others around him wore that fear on their faces for all to see. 

All save Ruri. She showed none of that apprehension, rather watching the professor with a stone cold gaze. There was no way Adam could tell what she was feeling, and he didn’t ask as the headmaster continued. 

“Still, if you work together, you will find the exam easier to complete. Those who escape together will be put in teams of four, and they will be your team for the rest of your time at Beacon.” 

A voice immediately piped up at that. “Uhh, Professor!”

Everyone looked over at the source of the voice. Unsurprisingly, it was Eirian who piped up, standing there with her hand raised and her other fiddling with one of her dreads. 

“Yes, Miss Esna?” 

“Um, I was just wondering… what can you do if someone on your team doesn’t like you?” She asked nervously, her hand lowering while she added. “I mean, it’d put a damper on the whole teamwork thing, so will you be thinking about that?”

“We always put our teams together that meld well.” Eirian visibly relaxed at that, at least, until Ozpin added in a serious tone. “But you all must understand, this is not a school. You are not here to be put on a team with your friends, and if you are put in a team with someone you don’t get along with, you both must be adults about it and find a way to work through your differences.”

“Wouldn’t that just negatively impact the team structure?” Adam suddenly spoke.

All attention moving away from Eirian, Adam found himself with all eyes on him, standing there with a hand resting on his sheathed sword and another resting on his hip. 

“It can, but if it gets to the point where we believe the team would be better in a transfer, then we will look into it.” Ozpin confessed. “But that is a rare occurrence, and the reason for these teams is to prepare you all for working in this profession. Sadly, you will rarely get to choose who you work with on missions, and developing skills to work with every type of person is essential if you want to make it far as a Huntsman.”

Adam gave him that. Staying quiet, the conversation there ended as Ozpin turned to address the entire group of students. “You will be dropped right into the forest. How you land will be up to you, but I trust you all had practiced landing strategies at your Combat School of choice.”

“Uhhh… kinda?” Zanthus laughed nervously. “Quick question, though… What about those who didn’t go to one of those schools?”

“You should have some idea on how to land. Still, the fall will not be high enough that it would seriously injure any students.”

That wasn’t exactly comforting. 

Suddenly, Adam heard whirling underneath him and glanced downwards, noticing that he was standing on a metal plate set deep into the dirt. Vibrations ran up his leg, and when he looked around, he realised that every other student were standing on the same platforms. One by one, the metal plates shot upwards. 

Every student standing on them was thrown up into the air, flying over Ozpin and Glynda’s heads and into the Emerald Forest itself. It didn’t seem very safe. 

While Zanthus seemed spooked by the sudden appearance of the platforms, Eirian giddy yelled in excitement as she was thrown, disappearing into the sky with Zanthus quickly joining her. He seemed far less thrilled as he screamed out in fear and panic. 

One by one, Adam watched students fly off into the air. Once it was Ruri’s turn, she gave him a small smile and prepared herself, showing no fear even when she was thrown off into the distance herself. Apprehension twisted in his gut as Adam noticed that it was his turn. Landing strategy. Think.

Every thought turned up blank. Before he could say anything, his body was thrown up into the air. 

The wind whistled in his ears. Loud, it was nowhere as bad as the heavy blood that was thumping in his ears also. He couldn’t even look around to see if anyone was around him. All he could do was stare at the ground that was coming at him fast, and quickly think of how to land safely. 

Wilt in hand, he had no power stored up in his weapon. A small flame that barely flickered inside him. He’d have to think fast if he wanted to avoid face planting the ground. 

His heart beat wildly in his chest. Frantic thudding, he tried to calm his nerves as he saw trees coming straight for him. With a tight grip, he let out a flurry of sword slashes, cutting a path through the sprawling branches that were in his way. It wasn’t a clean move, with a few of the branches smacking him straight in the face.

It stung. Even with his Aura protecting him from any lasting damage, he could feel every blow and smack as he tried to land. 

Stabbing Wilt into the thick trunk of the closest tree, Adam spun around the tree wildly while descending. The world spun uncontrollably. Just as fast as it happened, he felt his feet hit the dirt and rolled with the momentum, coming to a complete stop on one knee.

“Well,” he gasped. “That could’ve gone better.”

Getting back to his feet, he looked up in the direction he landed. Up above him, he could see many cut and broken branches from where he came in. Even the trunk had seen better days. A deep gasp spiraled all the way down from near the top, able to fit more than one of Adam’s long fingers as he poked it. 

Well, he made it in one piece. 

As he turned to leave the area, the distant sounds of gunfire and roars echoed through the forest. Trees swayed all around him. Even the animals that lived fled in the opposite direction, with birds squawking high above him as they flew away. Something felt off. Hair stood up on the back of his neck, and as Adam looked around with his hand on his sword, he could feel eyes peering from within the darkness.

He wasn’t alone.

Even as he walked in the opposite direction of the gunfire, he could feel those same eyes watching him. Yet when he turned around, ready to confront the danger, there was nothing around him. His grip on his sword never loosened. He didn’t dare, finding himself jumping at every sound. Every snapped twig or rustling bush.

Sunlight barely penetrated the thick cover of branches and leaves above him. Darkness swept through the forest floor, and while Adam could see fine with his night vision, he knew other students wouldn’t have such luck. Knowing that he had a skill that humans struggled with made him smirk to himself.

That smirk didn’t last long when he heard more rustling off to the side. Staring off in the direction, he approached the thick vegetation cautiously, ready to fight at a moment’s notice. 

Something sprang out of cover. Adam jumped back, drawing his sword with a deep frown. However, he stopped himself from attacking, finding nothing more than a flock of birds leaving the safety of the foliage, taking off to the skies with panicked caws and squawks.

“Okay. Just some birds. Nothing deadly or ready to eat my face off.” He muttered to himself, trying to calm his fast beating heart.

It’d been a while since he felt that afraid. He hated it, not just the feeling itself but the effect it had on him. Every noise, every shadow that moved in the corner of his eye, it all had him jumping in fright and pulling his weapon out to defend himself. His chest ached from the stress, and he found his frazzled mind becoming more and more unravelled. 

An explosion ripped through the forest. The force of the bellowing winds had Adam bracing himself momentarily, his teeth gritting together as he snapped. “What the hell?!”

As soon as the winds died back down, he looked off in the direction he came from, wondering who could’ve done something that powerful. Should he go and investigate? It was tempting, and yet the voice in the back of his head spoke against it. 

Apprehension took over. Sheathing his sword, Adam took a step away from the source of the explosion, eager to disappear into the forest and find his own way out. 

It was at that moment when he felt thudding in the ground. Small rocks rumbled beside him, and right then, a thunderous roar ripped through the forest. Adam spun around, and there, he saw not one Ursa, but three. Hulking beasts of shadows and bone, all three of them honed in on the one lone student. 

There was no way he could run. He didn’t want to.

Inhaling deeply, Adam lowered his stance and gripped his sword tightly. Watching. Waiting. 

Suddenly, Wilt shot out of its sheath, hitting the Ursa in the middle square in the snout. The blade spun from the collision, stunning the beast as its owner ran forward. As he grabbed the sword again, he aimed his rifle and kneeled, avoiding a wild swing as he shot the Ursa point blank in the throat. 

Black blood splashed onto his shirt, staining the red fabric with its disgusting fluid. Grimacing at it, Adam had to dodge paws coming down from above, rolling away as the Ursa he just shot stamped on the spot he just occupied. 

He could barely get back to his feet before another Ursa ran for him. Rumbling ground under his feet, Adam glanced over at it just in time to see claws coming straight for his face. He leaned backwards, watching those giant claws skim across the bridge of his nose. All the power behind that blow could be felt just from that one point of contact.

He had to be careful.

With the swipe leaving the Ursa unbalanced, Adam spun around with the momentum from his dodge, reaching its exposed side as he stabbed Wilt deep into it. Pained snarls rumbled from the beast, its massive strength and weight outmatching Adam’s in every way as it lashed out. The massive paw hit him square in the chest, the sheer force sending Adam flying into a nearby tree.

All the air in his lungs vanished. Gasping, he could feel the twinge of pain in his back when he tried to move. Broken shards of bark dug into his clothes, unable to pierce his skin with his Aura staying strong. It hurt to stand. Using the trunk to support himself, he barely had any time to catch his breath when all three Ursa charged him again.

Charging them as well, Adam slid down onto his knees, slipping underneath one of the Ursa while shooting its exposed underbelly multiple times. More of its blood splattered down on his, staining his face as he didn’t let up, slipping out from underneath the injured Grimm. With its back to him, he ran forward with Wilt sheathed.

In one slash, he left a massive gash in the Ursa’s side. Blood sprayed out, covering the ground and bushes with its dark fluid, and with the wounds proving too great, teh Ursa could only let out a weak growl before its battered body vanished to dust.

The fight wasn’t over. Adam could only let out an exhausted gasp before the other Ursa descended on him. 

Jumping back, he watched the Grimm’s massive paw dig up the ground where he stood, sending pebbles and dirt flying in his direction. Instinctively, he raised his arms, closing his one eye to avoid getting debris in it. Right there, he felt crippling pain in his entire left side. 

It was burning. One moment he was standing, the next he was tumbling to the ground, leaving a reasonably sized crater following him. Aching pain crippled him, leaving Adam lying there in the dirt with his hand digging into the ground. 

Stunned, he could only glance up in the direction of the Grimm, finding them charging straight for him again. With gritted teeth, he pulled his rifle off his belt and aimed. 

Even holding his arm up made his ribs ache.

A few rounds to the face had one of the Ursa back off, its skull marred with bullet holes and grooves from where some of the bullets skimmed it. It seemed agitated and pained, if Grimm could even feel pain in the first place, pawing at its face while the other Grimm kept running for him. It paid no attention to anything else. 

His arm shook. Every breath felt like fire. He couldn’t even think of moving out of the way in time, and when he fired again at the last Ursa, his bullets did little to phase it. Its mind was trained on one thing. Him. 

Jaws lined with over a dozen sharp teeth, the giant Grimm lunged to bite him. Out of pure instinct, Adam closed his eyes and flinched away, waiting for the blow. It never came.

Instead, loud grunting echoed through the forest. Hesitantly, Adam lowered his arm from in front of his face, staring up at the scene before him. The Ursa was stopped in its tracks. Claws digging into the ground, his savior had the Grimm by the snout, clamping its jaws shut between his muscular arms.

Zanthus. Cape billowing in the wind, he was keeping the Ursa’s head down, managing to fight its strength with its own while turning his head to Adam. Over his shoulder, he asked frantically. “You hurt? Can you stand?”

Seeing him there, having that giant beast under control, it stunned Adam to the point where he could only sit there dumbfounded. It was only for a few moments. After that, the danger they were very much in snapped him back to reality, with Adam getting back to his feet.

“Ah. Yeah, just need a minute.”

“Take your time.” Zanthus smiled, turning his attention back to the Ursa. “I got this.”

With that, he spun with the Ursa’s head in his hand and, with it pressed against his back, threw it over his shoulder. The sheer weight came crashing down, rumbling through the ground as the stunned Grimm laid there. As Zanthus made a move to finish it off, the last one came running towards him.

Jumping on top of the other, Zanthus lept right for the Ursa, wrapping his arms around its head as he swung his entire body around it, managing to straddle the back of its neck between his legs. Wildly, the Ursa swung around, backing up onto its back legs while it stumbled around. Zanthus seemed to be faring better, managing to hold onto the bucking Grimm even despite its best efforts to get him off.

With all his weight, he swung around the Ursa’s neck, using the momentum and his mass to pull the beast down with him. Before it could crush him, Zanthus rolled out of the way and hopped right onto its stomach. Hands gripping its throat, Adam watched as long, golden claws sprang out from his vambraces. 

They pierced all the way through the Grimm’s throat. Before it could attempt to swat at him, he pulled his claws out through the sides of the Ursa’s throat, completely severing its head and killing the beast. With its corpse disintegrating underneath him, he glanced up at Adam with a small smile on his face.

For once, Adam returned it to him. Relief washed over him. But it didn’t last.

Before he knew it, that smile on Zanthus’ face vanished, with fear and horror replacing it instead. “Look out!”

Spinning around, Adam noticed the last Ursa right behind him. It recovered quickly from Zanthus’ attack. As it reared on its back legs, dwarfing the student in front, it moved to swipe at his head. 

Adam tried to move. Searing pain made him slow, and his slowness led to him making easy mistakes. He couldn’t get out of the way in time. 

His body moved on its own. Shocked, he found his feet off the ground, with a pair of hands gripping into his clothes. Glancing up, he saw Zanthus’s face, noticing all the worry and fear washing away as he carried the injured student in his arms. He hugged Adam close to his body, fearful of dropping him, and jumped out of the way of the rampaging Ursa.

“Almost thought I wouldn’t have made it, then.” He confessed, landing safely on the ground with Adam securely in his arms. 

Looking away with a reddened face, the horned teen muttered back. “We’re not out of the woods, yet.”

“Good point.” Zanthus conceded, putting Adam down as soon as he could. “Think you can lend a hand?”

Turning his attention back to the Ursa, Adam nodded with a smirk. “Sure.”

Together, they made their move. Both separated from each other, running around the Ursa as it turned around in confusion, unable to focus on either with them both rushing around. Sword in hand, Adam stabbed through one of its back legs, feeling its muscles tear from the blow as he pulled it out roughly. 

The wound was agonising. The Ursa roared out, turning around while swinging wildly. One of those paws came straight for Adam. Without thinking, he pulled Wilt up, holding onto the sword with both hands as its claws scratched along the metalwork. Sparks flew right into Adam’s face, causing him to wince as he backed off.

None managed to hit him in the face, thank the gods. Rubbing his lower face, he looked up in time to see the Ursa swinging for Zanthus, able to focus on one target while the other was distracted. 

Before Adam could shout out to him, Zanthus had grabbed the Ursa’s arm tightly. Spinning around, he managed to pull it so that he was facing Adam’s direction.

Seeing his teammate, the lion Faunus shouted loudly. “Now, Adam!”

Without wasting a single moment, he threw the Ursa with all his strength straight for him. Adam didn’t think. His feet moved on instinct, all his years fighting on the road playing into his movements as he sheathed Wilt.

What little power he stored in his sword flared to life. It wasn’t much, but it gave Adam that much needed boost as he unleashed it in one slash. The Ursa was unable to dodge or block it. 

Powerless, its body split into halves as they travelled past where Adam was. The body pieces didn’t even hit the ground before it faded away to dust. As the last Grimm drifted away the spring breeze, the two students were left there alone. 

Panting heavily, Adam turned to where Zanthus stood. He was certainly faring better than the redhead, wiping sweat off his forehead with the palm of his hand. Sunlight that managed to get through the heavy cover of the branches and leaves reflected off his tanned skin, giving him a glow compared to the paler Adam lurking in the shadows. 

With a deep exhale, Zanthus turned to Adam and smiled. “How’re you feeling?”

“Been better.” That was an understatement. Every breath he took felt like his lungs were burning and his ribs were one tap away from shattering. Even with his Aura preventing any actual damage, it still  _ hurt. _

“Good. Worried for a moment there, not many people try to take on three Ursas on their own…” He paused with a nervous grin. “Though, I guess you like to go against the norm, huh?”

“How’d you even find me?” Adam asked suddenly, choosing to ignore the last comment.

That grin softened at the question. Hand lifting up to rub the back of his neck, he rested his other one on his hip while explaining. “Honestly, I was looking for what caused that big explosion. Now that I’ve seen you fight, I know it wasn’t you.”

“No, it wasn’t.” Sheathing Wilt again, Adam was quiet for a moment, before deciding to come out and voice what he was thinking. “Why’d you save me?”

“Well… You looked like you needed it.”

“Thanks for the faith.” Adam’s tone turned harsh.

Surprised, Zanthus was quick to correct himself. “That’s not what I meant. Even if you and I don’t agree on things, even if I think how you treat my friend is horrible, I’m not gonna walk by when someone needs my help.”

As he passed by Adam, he turned to look at the other teen with a faint smile. “Besides, we’re supposed to be working together to pass this. You might take a beating, but you fight pretty good.”

Adam’s face burned with the compliment. He always built himself up, with some even saying he had an ego, but with someone else now confessing that they see his potential too, it made him nervous and unsure what to say back.

“Uh… thanks.”

“You don’t get complimented a lot, do you?” 

“Who says I don’t?” Adam’s fist clenched together as he looked away in embarrassment. “You just caught me off guard, saying stuff like that!”

Zanthus chuckled at that. Ears twitching around with every small sound, he seemed to focus on one in particular, raising his hand to Adam while listening closely. Adam couldn’t hear anything. No matter how hard he tried, he could only hear as well as any other human, and some other Faunus too.

Lowering his hand, Zanthus piped up in a serious tone. “Sounds like some heavy combat to the north. If we wanna avoid it, best to go east where there’s less commotion.”

“Good work.” Adam complimented, gesturing to the foliage surrounding them. “Let’s go, then. Keep an ear out and let us know if you hear anything suspicious.”

“Sure thing, sir.” The joking way he called Adam sir did not go unnoticed. 

Even with the jokes and calmer air between them, the fights and Adam’s behaviour before would not be so easily forgotten. Zanthus made it clear before. But even with his clear dislike of the other student, the fact that he saved him when he could’ve easily walked away left Adam stumped. What did he do to deserve such an act of kindness?

That same voice came back. 

_ He thinks you can’t defend yourself. He pities you, just like every other Faunus when they see your face. Poor little Adam, needing to be saved again and again and  _ **_again._ **

Its cruel words dug deep into him. It was right, he always needed saving. It was disgusting. Pathetic. He was strong enough to do things himself, he was brave enough to do what needed to be done. No one else was trusted with the things he was. But he threw all that trust away. Blake’s, Ghira’s, Hajimu’s… Kaanchana’s.

Maybe he was pathetic. 

Maybe he didn’t deserve to be saved.

It was too confusing. Pushing away those feelings, he focused on the now. 

Leading Zanthus through the forest, the two Faunus managed to use their skills to avoid Grimm and unnecessary fights. Still, there were no other students around them. Was the forest that big that they hadn’t run into another single person out there?

After a while, Adam pushed a stray branch away from his face and looked ahead. To his surprise, rather than more forests spreading far ahead of them, a giant gorge ran right through the forest. As far as the eye could see, he glanced along the vast valley and saw the ocean in the distance, in awe of the view while Zanthus walked beside him.

“Looks like this leads all the way to the Indigo Seas.” He pointed out, moving closer to the edge while adding. “With the Emerald Forests reaching up to Vale’s western coast, we can’t be too far to the exit.”

“Any idea what this exit even looks like? Since it all looks like trees, trees and more trees to me.” Adam shrugged.

“From what I managed to get from Eirian’s ramblings,” Of course he got the information from Eirian. “Professor Ozpin wants us to make our way to this really old tower on the edge of the forest.”

“A tower? Why’d he want us to go there?”

“No clue. Eirian kinda went off topic when I brought it up.”

Rolling his eyes, Adam started moving along the edge of the cliff. Zanthus followed him, quietly for a while, but with the heavy silence starting to suffocate them as they kept walking, he piped up once more.

“I’d been meaning to ask you something.”

“What?”

“What’s the whole bandage deal? Like, it’s hard enough doing this kinda job with two eyes.”

Adam stopped in his step. Every fiber of his being tensed up, the answers running through his hard almost impossible to distinguish from one another. The words Zanthus just said didn’t even seem real. 

After a few moments of silence, he replied in a quiet voice. “It’s personal.”

“Ah… Shit.” Zanthus swore, quickly adding with his hands raised. “I’m sorry for saying something so insensitive. I didn’t even think before I asked.”

“It’s fine.” It wasn’t fine. Adam just didn’t want to get into it, knowing that talking would bring questions, and questions would bring out the truth. 

Then the truth would bring out the shame. 

With the sensitive topic dropped, both students wandered further down the massive gorge. There was no bridge in sight. Nothing. With only jagged cliff sides below their feet, and a tiny river right at the bottom of the gorge, they kept moving, unable to stop in fear of being ambushed by Grimm. 

Every so often, Adam glanced over at the dense forest running along the valley. He was almost certain he could see those red and yellow eyes peering from deep within. Every time he blinked, nothing was there, but that feeling remained. 

Any attempt for small talk stopped after Zanthus brought the bandage up. It was something Adam was grateful for, finding his attention spread too thin to even attempt to converse with someone at that moment. Still, it stuck to the back of his mind. Almost self consciously, his hand reached up to fiddle with the thick white bandage, before he caught himself and stopped his hand before he could even reach it.

“There.” Zanthus suddenly piped up, moving to Adam’s side as he pointed in the far distance. 

Following his finger, the bull Faunus spotted what he was pointed at. A bridge. By the look of its mossy stonework and cracked walls, it had seen better days, but that didn’t matter. It was a way over the gorge.

“Come on.” Adam ordered, jogging in the direction of the bridge with a relieved laugh. “Once we cross this, we’ll be home free-”

“ _ Look out down there! _ ” A new voice screamed. 

Surprised, the teenage boys stopped in their tracks. As soon as Adam looked up to where the voice came from, he was greeted with a heavy body hitting him full force. 

He tumbled to the ground. Breathless, he gasped out in pain, ready to throttle whoever it was that landed right on him. As he got a good enough look at the newcomer’s pained face, he let all his anger and hate out in his voice. “ _ You. _ ”

“Oh… Hey, Adam.” Eirian laughed nervously, pushing her upper body up while still sitting in his lap. “Didn’t think I’d run into you.”

“Eirian?! You okay?” Zanthus asked frantically, kneeling down beside the girl while checking her other.

With him cupping her face, she mumbled out her response. “Yeah, I’m fine. Turns out a person really is a good landing mat.”

Adam scowled at that. However, Zanthus could only laugh at the scene, shaking his head as he quipped. “How’d you even get in this situation?”

Before she could answer, a loud scream echoed through the air. All three got to their feet, looking up in the direction of the noise. Much to their shock, and Zanthus and Adam’s horror, a giant black bird flew overhead. Its massive wings dwarfed them alone, with its skull visible from where they stood.

“A Nevermore?!” Adam snapped. “How’d you even get away from it?!”

Eirian could only laugh nervously. “Well-”

“Wait a minute.” Zanthus interrupted, squinting his eyes as he looked like he was trying to spot something. 

With Eirian and Adam turning their attention to him, he pointed out in shock. “Isn’t that the girl you were with, Adam?”

Adam left any animosity with Eirian alone as he followed Zanthus’ finger. It was difficult to see from all the way down on the ground, but when the Nevermore turned through the air to fly back towards them, he could see none other than Ruri standing on its neck. She seemed to be grabbing something, but it was impossible for him to see what.

Exacerbated, he turned back to Eirian and snapped. “ _ How? _ ”

“Well…” She held onto her sword nervously. “It’s a long story.”


	6. That Same Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day she was waiting for has come. Eirian had been training her whole life for the chance to come to Beacon, to achieve her dream of becoming a Huntress, but there's always obstacles on the road one takes to their goal. While she made friends, she unintentionally made enemies, her olive branch rejected by those who judged her for who she was. But there on the battlefield, such prejudices had no place in the hearts of those who wanted to survive. So, with a partner and a team, she joins forces and does what she can to pass the Initiation.

_ Developing skills to work with every type of person is essential if you want to make it far as a Huntsman. _

Eirian knew the wisdom behind those words. It didn’t mean the prospect of running into people who hated her filled her with dread. Deep set in her stomach, she pushed it down, glancing over at the never ending forests behind Beacon’s headmaster. 

So many trees. She had never seen so many back home, used to a few palm trees and dry sands. Down from the cliff she stood on, evergreen trees with thick leaves replaced any tropical foliage she knew. Whereas many saw the dense forests and could only focus on the dangers with fear, Eirian felt thrill and eagerness egging her on. It was almost impossible for her to listen to Ozpin as he answered Zanthus’ question. 

Finally, one by one, the students were thrown from the cliff into the Emerald Forest. A whooping yell was all Eirian gave as she soared into the clear skies. 

Even with her stomach flipping from the freefall, she had the biggest grin on her face. The sky was where she was comfortable. Nothing much could touch you when you flew through the air, and all your worries could be left on the ground, if only for a while. 

Crossing her arms as she passed through a low cloud, she blinked and looked downwards. From below her, she could make out the giant forest approaching fast. Time for that landing strategy. 

Hand slipping into a pouch on the back of her belt, Eirian felt her Aura flare. Excitement and great need for protection affected it, the small flame she was so used to growing wild deep inside her. With no one around to see, it was difficult to see that silver coloured light glowing around her hand, and with a swift move of her arm, she pulled out a couple of small statues that were hidden inside.

With a throw, she straightened out her back and watched as those very statues came to life. Offwhite clay glowed silver for a moment, and soon enough the bird statues chirped loudly, quickly flying on their own while Eirian continued to plummet down to the ground. 

Without a second thought, the birds wedged themselves under her feet. The whistling wind stopped in her ears. For a moment, everything was quiet, and Eirian stood in the air with the birds giving her something to stand on. 

As she looked across the Emerald Forest, she unhooked her sword and swung it around her arm, watching the curved metal blade flip downwards and a gun barrel shoot out of the hole. With the scope fixed securely on the side of her handle, Eirian peered through it, scanning the environment carefully for something.

Suddenly, a loud yell caught her attention. It wasn’t like her shouts of happiness and excitement. 

There. Spinning wildly out of control, Zanthus was plummeting to the ground at incredible speeds. He wasn’t showing any signs of slowing down, nor was he preparing for the landing. 

She had to help him. Hand digging into one of her pouches, Eirian threw more of the small bird statues she had stocked up, watching them come to life as she ordered. “Go save him!”

They didn’t question her. As fast as their wings could carry them, the birds flew off from their creator and towards the panicking student. Nervousness bubbled in her gut. What if they weren't fast enough?

Even if the fall didn’t seriously hurt him, that didn’t mean she wanted to see it happen. 

She waited with bated breath, watching as Zanthus dipped behind the cover of trees with her birds quickly following him. Soon enough, flocks of squawking birds fled from their nests and took to the skies, leaving Eirian standing there in silence as she waited. 

Did she make it?

Almost silent, she could make out a voice shout up from where Zanthus landed. “Thanks!”

“You’re welcome!” Eirian shouted back, waving before gingerly remembering that he wouldn’t be able to see her from the ground. 

She should go and meet up with him. Together they could work through the forest, even find other students and make a team! Having a team felt far less daunting with Zanthus by her side. 

Swiftly, she dived down into the canopy. Skillfully dodging and weaving through the stretched out branches and tree trunks, she quickly jumped off the birds and rolled across the ground, coming to a stop on one knee with a hand stretched out in front of her. Her rifle transforming back into its khopesh form, Eirian got up and glanced around. 

“Zanthus?”

Grunting and shaking branches were her reply. Following the sound, Eirian looked upwards into the trees up above, spotting Zanthus up there. His landing certainly wasn’t an easy one, she thought as she watched him struggle to untangle his cape from the branches.

Right beside him, she spotted her birds perched on the small branches. A small chirp and they flew down to where she was standing, sitting on her shoulders while she turned her attention to her friend.

“Need help?” She offered.

Pausing in his struggle, Zanthus glanced down at her and laughed nervously. “Don’t suppose you have anything  _ stronger  _ in those pouches of yours?”

“Not unless you have spare clay on you.”

He sighed at that.

“Well,” he gave his cape another tug. “I’d appreciate it if you can get up here and help me get this loose.”

Eirian looked at the birds perched on her shoulders, finding the ones that helped her land resting on another tree branch beside her. “Wanna give me a lift?”

They glanced at each other. Almost like they were weighing it up, the birds on her shoulders hopped off and hovered a few inches off the ground, waiting patiently as Eirian stepped on top of them before taking off. Drifting upwards, she smiled brightly while Zanthus gave her a questioning look.

“That’s some Semblance.” He pointed out, holding onto his cape as he tugged at it. “Here, just try and unhook it from those branches. I think that’s where it’s caught.”

Following his instructions, Eirian moved closer to the tangled branches he was stuck on. Sure enough, his cape was tangled pretty badly in the thorns, some holes already torn into the already battered fabric.

As she grabbed it, she gave it a quick tug and whined. “Why even wear a cape if it just gets stuck on everything?”

“It hardly ever happens!” Zanthus shot back defensively.

“Take it off and it can never happen!” Eirian pulled it hard, feeling it come loose as her grin widened. “I think it’s coming loose!”

Finally, with their combined efforts, Zanthus’ poor cape was free from the trapping branches and its thorns. Free, he sat there awkwardly while Eirian floated back down to the floor, hopping off her birds while they perched on her shoulders again. As she turned around, she noticed that Zanthus was still up in the tree.

“You're not coming down?” She asked.

“Uh….” he looked down from his spot. “It’s pretty high up.”

It was certainly a distance to fall. Moving closer to the spot right underneath him, Eirian pursed her lips in thought for a moment. Suddenly, she held her arms out, calling up with a smile. “Jump.”

“Are you serious?!”

“Just jump! I’ll catch you!”

“ _ You’ll  _ catch  _ me. _ ” As if to emphasise the point, Zanthus pointed at her before himself with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, it’ll work. I heard people make good landing mats.”

“Who in their right mind told you that?!”

“Just do it!”

He didn’t say anything to that. After a few awkward moments of silence, she heard Zanthus mutter to himself, unable to make out what exactly he said. It didn’t matter. What mattered was him shuffling to the edge of the branches, pausing for a moment when it looked like nervousness was too much for him to deal with.

Flexing her fingers, she gave him a comforting smile and waited patiently. Unmoving, she watched as he finally pushed himself off, and when she saw this hulking body hurtling straight for her, Eirian finally realised her mistake.

“Oh.”

Zanthus was  _ heavy.  _ His entire weight fell right on top of her, knocking all the breath out of Eirian’s lungs and slamming both of them into the forest floor. 

Sticks and leaves dug into her bare back and shoulders, the whole world spinning while the poor concussed girl laid there, unable to move with her equally stunned friend lying on top of her. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t move. Everywhere hurt, and all she could feel was regret for every life choice she made up until that moment.

“I may… have made a mistake.” She gasped from underneath him.

On top of her, Zanthus mumbled incoherently. “Cats don’t always land on their feet, I guess.”

“Isn’t that kinda racist?”

“It’s fine, Adam isn’t around to hear.” The mention of Adam would’ve made Eirian flinch if she wasn’t already dizzy and sore.

When the world finally stopped spinning, Zanthus’ weight lifted from her chest. Finally able to breathe, Eirian panted for air, sitting upright while her friend sat next to her supportively, holding onto her shoulder while she got her wits about her.

As she rubbed her sore chest, Zanthus piped up. “Since we’re together, we can use our heads to try and escape this place. You have any ideas.”

“Uhhh, I might have one.” She replied, unsure as she nervously played with one of her dreads. “It might not be the best option, though.”

“We won’t know unless you say it. How bad could it be?”

His supportive words stunned her. A burst of determination lit inside her, her surprised expression shifting to a confident smile while she nodded.

“Okay. I’ve actually done some research about the Emerald Forest before coming to Beacon. Actually, I was trying to find out more ancient history and found these little tidbits out, but that doesn’t matter!” She rambled, grabbing a stick from beside her as she dug it into the ground. “Beacon is located on the western coast of Vale, just by the Indigo Seas. I remember there being a gorge around here with one of Vale’s main rivers.”

“And that should help… how?”

“Simple! The exit that Professor Ozpin wants us to find is near an old tower right by that gorge. We find the gorge, we find the tower, and we find the exit!”

“Wait, why would he want us to go to this tower? What’s so special about it?”

“You’ve never heard of the Tower of Gothel?” A shake of his head had Eirian going into an excited ramble. “The history behind it was pretty much lost after the downfall of the Ancient Valerian Empire. After the people moved away from the city and tried to live out in towns away form the government, the legends from those times faded away, but I did find out that apparently-”

“Can you explain in five sentences or less?”

“No.”

“...Go on, then.” Zanthus sat there patiently.

Sitting back on her legs, Eirian drew more structures and shapes in the dirt with her stick. “So, according to what I learned, the Tower of Gothel was once an outpost to an old lord that lived during a time of magic and Gods. When the world turned to ruin and the Gods abandoned us, the lord used his cunning and his power to expand his hold over these lands.”

Pointing to a circle in the middle of some stick trees, she continued. “The Emerald Forest was said to be enchanted. Trees moved on their own, water flowed that made man grow taller than ever and made the plants themselves come to life. This was before Beacon even existed, you know?”

“I have a question.”

“What?”

“Is this true?”

Eirian stopped drawing for a moment and frowned. “I dunno. Some people say legends hold some truth from the past.”

“Okay, well we are kinda on a time limit.” Zanthus pressed. “So, short version, please.”

She couldn’t help but deflate in disappointment. “The tower was a byproduct of the Ancient Valerian Empire and hasn’t been in use for centuries. There used to be more ruins in these Forests, but time and the Grimm have left them rubble and dust.”

“Thank you.” Getting up to his feet, he offered a hand to the downtrodden girl with a small smile. “When we get outta here, you can tell me all about Vale and its history.”

That brought the smile back to Eirian’s face. Accepting his hand, both of the students brushed themselves off and started making their way through the forest. As the one who knew where they were vaguely going, Eirian took the lead, holding her weapon tightly while watching the dense foliage around them. 

No longer in the air, the Grimm and other dangers had so much more cover to hide away in. Every sound, every movement, had both of them ready to fight, only to find nothing worth worrying over. 

With the sun hidden behind the wide spreading branches, Eirian had to squint to see in the dim lighting. She wished she had some sort of night vision. At least what Zanthus had, the feline Faunus having no difficulty traversing in the dark forest. With his ears swivelling on top of his head, nothing could sneak up on the duo without being found out.

At least, she had thought so before Zanthus stopped her. 

A hand gripping her shoulder, she turned around to find his ears focusing solely in one direction. Before she could ask him what was wrong, he pushed her out of the way and jumped back. Confusion was all she could feel. 

That was quickly resolved when she rolled along the ground, managing to stop on one knee and looking back to see a Beowolf having pounced right where she once stood. 

Her stomach dropped at the sight of the beast. Even when she prepared herself for what she would’ve seen before coming to Beacon, seeing those piercing eyes focus on her, hearing the deep growls rumbling from those jaws, it left her frozen in fear.

Only for a moment. A moment was all it needed to lunge for her, Eirian dodging its claws and deflecting a rogue blow with her sword. The birds on her shoulders were no longer there. She couldn’t stop the fight to search for them. Eyes glanced around, hoping to see her creations around, but they quickly focused back on the Beowolf as it swiped for her head.

Ducking, she spun around and retaliated with a slash of her sword. The blade cut through flesh and bone crudely, the resistance she found lasting only a few moments before she completely severed the Beowolf’s lower arm. 

As it howled in pain, Eirian gripped her sword with both hands and hacked into its neck. It didn’t manage to completely decapitate it. Still, black blood oozed out of the wound, staining the ground and some of Eirian’s white shirt. Disgusting. She’d have to wash it so many times before the stain would even begin to fade. 

Dismembered and bleeding heavily, the Grimm could only groan softly before collapsing to the ground. Dust and shed leaves flew up from the weight of the beast hitting the ground, settling down with its corpse fading away. 

Rest wasn’t possible, though. As she looked around, she quickly found that the Beowolf was not alone, and worst still, Zanthus was nowhere to be seen. 

“Zanthus?” She called out nervously, holding her sword up as more of the Grimm targeted her. 

Blocking a glancing blow from one, she sliced the side of the Beowolf and quickly lifted her sword over her shoulder, blocking another swipe from its packmate that had managed to get behind her. Sandwiched between two enemies, she found herself spinning around madly, trying to keep an eye on both targets while moving backwards. If she could just get both of them in front of her.

A shadow lunged in the corner of her eye. Before she knew it, Eirian was pinned under one of the Beowolves. 

Crippling fear overwhelmed her. Agony radiated from her side, her scars ached, and images flashed across her eyes suddenly. It hurt. It burned. Blood stuck to her skin and screaming echoed in her ears. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think. When she saw cracked teeth nearing her face as the Beowolf growled loudly, she didn’t think of anything except escaping.

A loud bang echoed through the crisp spring air. Putting her arms up, Eirian managed to stop the Beowolf from collapsing right on top of her, throwing its dissolving corpse off her with a loud shout of exertion.

She couldn’t even focus on her smoking rifle as she grabbed it. 

Holding onto it for dear life, she pushed the unwanted memories down as she faced the rest of the pack. Even with her thinning their numbers, it felt like the enemy was never ending. They circled her, looking for any moment of weakness to take advantage of, and standing there alone, Eirian never felt so small.

Stop it. She scolded herself. She faced Grimm like this back home, this was what she was training for. She had to stop doubting herself. 

That was easier said than done when her hands shook.

Heart beating wildly in her chest, she backed away, trying to put some distance between them and her while they gave chase. There were too many to fight for one person. 

Shooting one through its skull when it tried to lunge, Eirian turned heel and ran through the thicket. Pushing branches and brambles out of the way, she could hear the howls right behind her no matter how fast she ran. Her legs burned. Her lungs burned. She was not a fighter for the front lines, but without Zanthus there to keep their attention focused on him, she found herself their target instead.

The thought of her missing friend caused her chest to tighten. Where was he?

Suddenly, a Beowolf managed to outflank her and landed in front of the fleeing girl, snarling at her with bared teeth. Eirian didn’t think twice as she pressed a foot into a tree trunk next to her and pushed herself upwards, throwing herself over the obstacle with her rifle. One shot, and the Grimm collapsed in a plume of smoke and dust, its remains trampled by its packmates as they ran through.

Hopping between tree trunks, Eirian grabbed hold of a low hanging branch and, with the momentum she was going at, swung until she landed right on top of it. As she glanced behind, she was greeted with the sight of the Beowolves jumping up the trees. Claws broke through the tough bark layer like it was nothing. 

Catching her breath, she finally noticed something flying after her. Any fear she felt washed away, even if it was just for a moment, when she recognised the small objects. Her birds. 

The loyal statues flew as fast as they could. However, when they managed to catch up with the Grimm and Eirian, they didn’t return to her side. Instead, they flew around the beasts, distracting them long enough for Eirian to take the shot.

Aiming down the sights, she muttered sadly. “Sorry, guys.”

She fired. A powerful explosion rumbled through the entire forest. 

Wildlife fled from all directions. Trees bent unnaturally as strong gales blew through. Even when the explosion itself ended and all the Beowolves were rendered dust, Eirian herself was blown through the trees and into a small clearing from the sheer force.

Everywhere hurt. Noise rang in her ears, high pitched that left everything silent around her. Lying on the ground, she could barely open her eyes without her head thumping painfully, squinting in the bright sunlight as she glanced up at the blue skies. Her poor birds. It happened before, she did it before, but it didn’t mean she enjoyed it. Her creations gave themselves for her.

She had to keep going. 

Faint thudding could be felt through the ground. Pressing her fingers into the dirt, Eirian felt her heart skip as she pushed her body to move, barely able to get to her knees when she saw what was coming. It wasn’t a Beowolf or even an Ursa.

A boar, with tusks curled from its mouth and those same eyes peering out of the stark white skull. Smoke emitting from its body, it let out an angered squeal when it found the injured student lying there on the ground. A boarbatusk. 

Not good. Not good at all.

Instinctively, Eirian reached down to her belt for her sword. When her fingers met nothing but air, that was when she looked down in confusion, finding her weapon nowhere to be found. “Oh no.”

There was no time to act. The Boarbatusk charged for her, and Eirian could only lie there and watch when her legs refused to move. 

That would’ve been it if not for something wrapping around the Grimm and flinging it through the air. Hooved feet scraping the ground, it let out a squeal as it flew off to the side, rolling across the ground helplessly while the newcomer landed harshly on the ground. 

Still on the ground, Eirian looked up at her savior. Deep purple eyes stared back. Sharp, focused, but glistening with the whites just visible. She knew her. 

“It’s you again!” She cheerfully pointed out. 

That girl from the hostel. The one Adam was with that morning. She didn’t show any emotion on her face, stoically watching Eirian as she shot back up to her feet, finding that energy surging through her while excitedly bouncing on the balls of her feet. 

“I can’t believe you’re here! I never thought we’d run into each other out here, it really is a small forest, huh?” She grinned with a nervous laugh. “Kinda wished we met without me ending up on the floor.”

She was rambling again. It wasn’t something she meant to do, knowing deep down that it annoyed people, but her mouth kept running without any sign of stopping. The other girl didn’t seem angry at her for the most part.

Rather, she simply nudged Eirian out of the way and gripped her swords in her sheath. Confused, Eirian glanced up to see that the Boarbatusk had gotten back up, no longer stunned from the rough landing it was just subjected to. 

Shaking its head, it tried to charge again. Angry squeals echoed through the air. The sight of this angry beast charging, and not having her weapon on hand, left Eirian feeling so small and defenseless, only able to stand behind the girl and watch. Though give her some due, she showed none of the fear or apprehension that plagued Eirian so much. 

She couldn’t even see the first strike. Before Eirian knew it, the girl was past where the Boarbatusk was, with chains flying behind her in circles. Arms crossed, she only had to pull and the chains were wrapped tightly around the Grimm. It thrashed around wildly. Angry squeals were loud in Eirian’s ears, but she could only watch in awe as the other girl grabbed the chains and spun on her foot, dragging the Boarbatusk away and slamming it into the ground.

Stunned, it couldn’t move as she jumped on top of it and shoved her dual blades deep into its belly. Right to the hilt. 

Strangled noises were all the Grimm could make. Struggling against her grip, she was stone cold in her precision, watching it fade away to dust before standing up again. Even though Eirian couldn’t see her face with the girl’s back to her, the way she held herself, the aura that radiated from her. 

It was breathtaking. 

“Woah…” She muttered to herself. 

With a flick, the chains pulled back into her blades, the two halves of the daggers clicking back into one whole as she sheathed them once more. 

When she turned around, her eyes widened in shock when Eirian ran up to her, vibrating with excitement as she gushed over the fight. “That was  _ amazing! _ You have got to teach me some of those moves, I’ve been waiting for so long for someone to show me the ropes! Honestly, I like doing things at a distance, but that’s kinda hard when Grimm like getting up in your face."

Shaking her fists eagerly, she continued with increased vigor. “We could be such a good team! Have you seen my moves? Before was a bit of an exception, usually I can pull my weight! I promise I won’t be a burden! What’s your name? We should really get to know each other, I’m Eirian by the wa-”

She was stopped by a hand.

Holding it up as a signal to stop, the girl seemed so confused and put off. Eyebrows furrowed, she waited until Eirian stopped talking her ear off before making some hand movements quickly. 

Her mind drew a blank. Watching the quick signs and the way the girl looked almost embarrassed for doing it, Eirian stared in confusion for a few moments. Suddenly, it clicked. She was signing. The girl was deaf.

“Oh.”

It sounded almost silly responding like that. Yet she honestly didn’t know  _ what  _ to say, only able to stand there with a stunned look on her face, watching the girl dropping her hands to her sides and glance away nervously. 

They stood there for what felt like forever before Eirian spoke up again. “Okay. You’re deaf. I can work with that.”

The girl tried to sign again before Eirian quickly pointed out bashfully. “I don’t get sign language!”

She stopped. Hands held up in front of her chest, she watched Eirian closely, unnerving the other girl as she looked away nervously.

“You don’t have to stare at me like that…” she mumbled to herself, covering her face with her hand. “How am I gonna do this?”

It was difficult traversing through the Emerald Forest with all your senses. While the other girl proved more than capable of handling Grimm, her ability to work with others were pretty nonexistent, and not even because any orders would fall on deaf ears. She just didn’t seem the most friendly of them all.

Then there was the habit of staring people down. Does she even blink?

While Eirian panicked to herself over what to do, she suddenly felt something poking her arm. Lowering her hand from her face, she noticed the girl still standing there, only she was holding something in one hand, poking Eirian with it while staring blankly. 

Looking down at the object, the dark skinned girl was surprised to find her sword. Her savior must’ve picked it up after the explosion. 

“Oh!” She exclaimed, taking the sword with a grateful smile. “Thanks! Need this if we wanna get outta here in one piece.”

The girl just stared. It started getting more and more awkward with each passing second, though Eirian tried her best to break the ice between them. “So, any way you can tell me your name?”

She seemed confused. Eirian tried again in a slower tone. “Name?”

That seemed to do the trick. However, trying to get a mute girl to say something was not possible, and without pen and paper to write anything down, the two would have to get creative if they wanted to communicate with each other.

Watching closely, she saw the girl using her fingers to spell out the letters. It was pretty difficult to decipher, and Eirian could only answer with an unsure tone. “Rory?”

Slanted eyes narrowed. The girl repeated herself with a frustrated expression, with Eirian trying again nervously. “Ruri?”

She smiled at that, nodding as Eirian continued. “Ruri. Right. Well, any chance you saw a boy around here?”

Zanthus fresh on her mind, she tried to mime out what she wanted, lifting her hand up while Ruri could only stand there and stare.

“About this big? Blonde? Cat ears? Likes wearing capes that get stuck on everything?”

Much to her disappointment, Ruri only shook her head. It was too much to hope on. Still, her first friend was missing, and the attack from before was still fresh on Eirian’s mind. She hoped he was okay. 

“Okay. No time to mope.” She picked herself up, slapping her pudgy cheeks to try and psyche herself. “We got a mission to do. Let’s get outta here.”

With Ruri in tow, she took the lead and made her way back into the dense cover of trees. Even with the twinge of pain in her feet, she kept pushing herself, focusing her mind and energy on completing the mission and getting not only herself, but her new partner, out of danger.

It almost felt like a real Huntsman mission. It made her giddy, that bright energy radiating off her as she walked proudly through the bushes and brambles. 

A tank top and shorts were not suitable for keeping sharp branches and thorns at bay. Aura protecting her flesh from the scratches, she still felt the sharp pain every time a branch snapped back from her grip, or every time throned plants nicked her arms or thighs as she brushed past them. 

At least the cloak hanging from her belt protected the left side of her lower half. It was better than nothing. 

Every so often, she found herself looking over her shoulder, making sure Ruri was still with her. It was almost too easy to forget the silent girl was even there. Eirian didn’t expect any conversation, especially since Ruri doesn’t speak, but the quiet between them was starting to make her feel weird and awkward. What could she even say?

So, how’s being deaf treating you? Like this weather? Grimm, am I right?

She hated trying to do small talk. All the things she could think of were either random facts about the favourite music genres in the secluded southern villages of Mistral, or whether Atlas’ Headmaster and Vacuo’s Headmistress would win in a free for all.

Her money was still on Vacuo.

Her scattered thoughts stopped suddenly when she noticed Ruri overtaking her. Pulling her attention back to the current situation, she found herself having wandered out of the forest, rather looking over a giant gorge that split the Emerald Forest in half.

The scenery was beautiful. With the dark grey cliff faces, the small blue river that ran miles and miles down below, she looked at the trees on the other side of the gorge, standing there in awe while Ruri moved closer to the cliffside.

Noticing her, Eirian quickly moved to her side with a hand out. “Careful, you don’t wanna slip.”

The touch on her arm had Ruri flinching backwards. A heated stare was all she gave back, rubbing the spot where Eirian had grabbed her.

Confused, Eirian held her hands up and apologised. “Sorry. Won’t do that again.”

Silently accepting the apology, the hard expression on Ruri’s face softened, and she turned her attention back to the cliff edge. Even though the apology was done and everything was fine, Eirian couldn’t help but scold herself for doing something so dumb again. She didn’t want to mess up any chance to prove herself to Ruri.

She was so cool. Eirian wanted her to like her. 

“Okay.” She started, breathing deeply to try and calm her frantic nerves. “How’re we gonna get over here?”

The question was more for herself than Ruri. With her back to Eirian, she didn’t even hear the question, rather staring off into the distance with that same stoic expression. She seemed so focused. 

Following her gaze, Eirian couldn’t see anything as she muttered. “I guess I’ll figure it out.”

Almost on cue, a loud call echoed through the air. It was no way human. Filling Eirian with dread and forcing Ruri to get into a fighting stance, the two students stood there as something flew up from within the gorge itself. 

The sheer weight and power behind it caused winds to blow through the girls. Crossing her arms in front of her face, Eirian braved the gusts, looking up with widened eyes at whatever could’ve caused such power. High above them, she got her answer when a giant silhouette blocked out the sun.

Pitch black feather and a bone white skull, the creature dwarfed the students with one wing alone. 

“A Nevermore?!” Eirian gasped, spinning her sword as it transformed into her rifle form. “What’d we gonna d-?!”

Her question fell short when Ruri ran off the edge of the cliff. Panic set in at that, Eirian rushing to the side with a horrified cry. “Ruri?!”

For a moment, she feared the worst. 

Suddenly, vibrations rumbled through the ground. Wild earthquakes that had Eirian stumbling, falling to a knee as she steadied herself, she watched as Ruri shot up from the gorge, straight for the Nevermore itself. 

Eirian was stunned. The graceful movements of Ruri as she sawed through the air, flexing her legs as compressed air pushed her further, she couldn’t take her eyes off it. Even when the Nevermore dove to attack the blue haired girl, she showed no fear as she spun through the air, throwing one of her swords right for it. 

The chains glistened in the sunlight. Readying her scope, Eirian saw the blade folding into a hook, spinning through the air as it shot for the incoming Grimm.

Any awe she felt vanished when the Nevermore smacked it away with its beak. Both of the students reacted in shock, with Ruri pulling her sword back and preparing herself for impact. The giant beak opened, ready to swallow her whole, and Eirian couldn’t stand there any longer. 

She fired a shot. It was only a brief annoyance, but when the bullet exploded in the Nevermore’s mouth, it instinctively closed its beak and flew to the side, its huge wing smacking Ruri away like she was just a fly.

Sword in hand, Eirian didn’t think twice before she dove off the cliff after Ruri. The wind was loud in her ears, deafening her with the sound of her own heart beating frantically in her chest, but she could only focus on the falling Ruri. Hand digging into her pouch, she grabbed a few birds and threw them in front of her.

Scared chirping were all the birds could make when they came to life. Seeing Eirian and Ruri falling, they rushed to their creator's aid. 

Under her feet, she felt her own fall slow down, still chasing after Ruri with the river coming closer and closer. 

She had to act fast. 

“Throw me your knife!” She shouted.

Recovering from the blow, Ruri seemed confused, not even realising she was falling until she looked behind her and saw the incoming river. Purple eyes widened in fear, her hand feeling behind her before she threw one of her weapons to Eirian.

Gloved hand grabbing the blade, she used the other to hold onto the chain and flew up as fast as her birds could carry her. With the extra weight, they were struggling to even keep them in the air, but she just needed them to hold on for a little longer. She knew what to do with the Nevermore circling back.

As it dove again, Eirian pulled the chain as hard as she could, using her strength to fling Ruri up towards the Nevermore again. 

Focusing entirely on her, it didn’t notice as Ruri outflanked it, using more shockwaves to push her bruised body through the air. Quickly, she slammed into the Nevermore’s side, digging in her blades as the Grimm screamed loudly in pain. 

Seeing its open mouth coming right for her, Eirian pulled her leg back, bird still under her foot, and kicked as hard as she could. The bird shot through the air, and right into the Nevermore’s mouth. It could barely close it before the statue exploded. 

Balancing on one bird was insanely difficult. As the giant bird dove past her, the winds from its wings had Eirian leaning backwards, and in that split second, she felt her balance tip over and her body fall off the perch. Her heart stopped as she dropped through the air like a stone in water. 

That would’ve been it for her if not for Ruri grabbing her with her chains. Feeling the metal stick painfully into her belly, Eirian’s body lurched with the Nevermore flying around, pulling her closer to it and to Ruri. As soon as she was close enough, she grabbed Ruri’s hand, and the two held onto the soaring Grimm for their dear lives.

“Wow, I never knew Nevermore feathers were so soft!” Eirian suddenly piped up.

A heated glare shut her up pretty quickly. 

Honestly, now that they were there, riding on top of a giant Nevermore, Eirian didn’t actually have a plan for what they should do. 

As she turned to ask Ruri, she was surprised to see the other girl already moving towards the head. Hands digging into the feathers, she held on tightly, and Eirian could only do the same. She saw how far the drop was. Light pouches grimly reminded her of her dwindling supplies, and not even Aura would save someone from that great of a height. 

Ignoring the Nevermore’s angered squawks, Ruri managed to reach its head. However, rather than try to stab it and kill the beast, she took out her weapons and, with the blades folding into hooks, drove them right underneath the top part of its beak. 

Pained cries rumbled through the Grimm. Eirian shuffled closer, shouting out in surprise when she felt the Nevermore wriggle about, trying to dislodge its unwanted passengers. 

“Wait.” She muttered to herself, noticing something in the distance. 

Rifle in hand, she rested it against the Nevermore, using one hand to hold on while the other aimed her weapon towards the place of interest. Peering through the scope, she noticed worn grey stone and ruined towers, even able to see the moss and vines crawling up the tall buildings built on the other side of the gorge.

“That’s it!” She shouted, sitting upright with a bright grin. “That’s the Tower of Gothel! We found the way ou-!”

Her words died when the Nevermore flipped onto its side. Any grip she had on its feathers vanished, and before she knew it, she was falling through the air with the Nevermore flying off with Ruri. 

Panic surging through her being, her arms flapped through the air while she screamed loudly. Managing to spin around, she noticed that the Nevermore dropped her near the cliff edge, trying to aim there rather than the entire fall down to the river. Hopefully her Aura could handle the shorter fall there.

Small figures appeared down below her. Coming in too fast, she had no time to see who it was, only able to shout out in a blind panic. “ _ Look out down there! _ ”

Everything went black.

Pain pulsed through her body. Deep, thudding pain that had her groan loudly, but it was far less painful than she expected. With muffled noises around her, she scrunched her eyes together, unable to handle the light that beamed in her face. Why was the ground so soft?

Slowly, her vision came back. Blinking a few times to clear her blurred sight, she pushed herself up gingerly, wincing when her head pounded horribly. Under her hand, she felt soft fabric. That wasn’t dirt. When she looked down to see just what she landed on, what greeted her was one blue eye filled with anger and malice.

“ _ You. _ ” Adam growled at her.

“Oh… Hey, Adam.” She laughed nervously, sitting up full with her hand still tenderly touching her temple. “Didn’t think I’d run into you.”

From beside her, a familiar voice called out in worry. “Eirian?! You okay?!”

Zanthus. Eirian turned her head to be greeted with her friend kneeling down beside her and cupping her face painfully, squishing her cheeks together with her lips puckering out.

Any relief she felt after finding him alive and well vanished, instead replaced with pain and discomfort as she mumbled back. “Yeah, I’m fine. Turns out a person really is a good landing mat.”

While Adam was rightfully angry at that, Zanthus’ smile made her feel so much better. Releasing her cheeks, he laughed cheerfully. “How’d you even get in this situation?”

Before she could try and warn them, the Nevermore had returned with a deafening scream. It rang in her ears and echoed through the gorge. Both of the boys that were with her paled at the sound, Adam getting up to his feet with Eirian quickly joining him, all three looking up to see the Grimm soaring wildly through the air.

“A Nevermore?!” Adam snapped from beside her, turning to Eirian with a shocked look. “How’d you even get away from it?!”

“Well-”

“Wait a minute,” Zanthus interrupted. “Isn’t that the girl you were with, Adam?”

Oh, they noticed Ruri. Eirian too could see the poor girl wrangling with the giant beast, pulling on her chains in a vain attempt to keep it from dive bombing the students on the ground. She wouldn’t be able to hold onto it forever. 

However, that wasn’t on Adam’s mind as he asked in exasperation. “ _ How? _ ”

“Well…” She muttered, messing with her sword nervously. “It’s a long story.”

“That can wait for later.” Zanthus piped up, holding onto Eirian as he turned his attention to Adam. “The bridge over there can get us to the exit. We gotta move.”

“We can’t outrun it. We have to stand and fight.” Adam argued.

Slit pupils widened in disbelief, Zanthus gestured to the struggling Ruri on top of the Nevermore. “We can’t fight this! Not out in the open like this!”

Eirian had to agree. After taking a few bombs to the face and being stabbed repeatedly, the creature was still showing no signs of stopping, and with her Aura running low, she didn’t know how much longer she could be of any help. Yet when she saw the heated glare Adam gave her when she opened her mouth, she found any courage to voice her opinion vanish.

Hiding away, she let Zanthus take over as he compromised. “That ruin can provide plenty of cover from it. Once we get there, we can wait until it loses interest.”

“Grimm never lose interest.” The deep growl to Adam’s voice had Eirian flinching. 

Looking up, she saw something coming straight for them and shouted. “Look out!”

They barely moved before the trio was bombarded with giant feathers. Driving deep into the ground, Eirian and Zanthus parted in time to avoid one of them, the dirt and dust kicking up into Eirian’s face. Covering her eyes, she looked over at Adam in time to see him slicing one of those feathers in half.

His hair flared up with the strike. Standing strong against the barrage, she saw the Nevermore hover in the air, fighting against Ruri even with her swords digging painfully into its mouth. Yellow and red eyes focused solely on Adam. 

Seeing it pull its wings back and throw more feathers straight for him, Eirian moved on her own. She had to save him.

In a flash, she tackled Adam out of the way, holding him close as they both landed on the ground with Eirian underneath him, rolling along until she was protectively over him. From underneath, she heard him snap. “What’d you think you’re doing?!”

“Saving you?” She replied, uncertain of what she should say.

With a growl, Adam shoved her from on top of him and got back to his feet, turning to Zanthus as he reunited with the two of them. “Let’s go. Stay close!”

Turning on his heel, he ran off for the bridge connecting the two sides of the gorge together. Bitter sadness twisted in Eirian’s gut, unable to be quelled even when Zanthus helped her to her feet and kept her close as they followed after the red haired teen. Did she do something wrong? People were usually grateful after being saved, weren't they?

She couldn’t focus on it for long. Not when they reached the bridge and started to run across.

The Nevermore followed after them, flying over their heads as Ruri managed to keep it from slamming right into the bridge. Panting loudly, Eirian dove for cover behind a destroyed stone wall near the main tower.

Back pressed flat against it, she held her rifle tightly, looking over at Adam and Zanthus as they hid behind another wall opposite her. With all three hiding away, the Nevermore circled high above. Its squawks and cries rang through the air. It sounded almost in pain. A bit of Eirian felt sad for it, but she knew better than that. Even she couldn’t feel empathy for these creatures.

Her side started aching more. 

Biting her lip to try and deal with the pain, she listened as Adam ordered them sharply. “It looks distracted. If you want to run, now’s the time.”

“What about you?” Zanthus asked.

“I told you. I’m not running.”

Ears folding back slightly, Zanthus shot back in an annoyed tone. “Don’t be an idiot. That thing will kill you before you can even get close. You can’t fly, and I can’t throw you up there.”

“Ruri’s still up there.” Eirian added softly. “I’m not leaving my friend.”

“You were the one who brought it here!” Adam hissed.

She flinched at his harsh words, looking away while Zanthus glared at him. “Leave her alone. This isn’t her fault.”

“Who’s fault is it, then?”

“Stop it. We can’t sit here and argue while someone’s in trouble.” The feline Faunus shot down. 

Surprisingly, Adam didn’t have any retort to that. Instead, he growled under his breath and peeked from behind his cover, watching the Nevermore flying around up above, before glancing up at the tower behind him. It was dilapidated. Stone chipped and entire walls having crumbled away with time, there wasn’t much for defense against such a powerful opponent. 

After a few moments of silence, he turned back to Zanthus and Eirian. “Zanthus, get up on the east tower over there. You keep the Nevermore’s attention on you.”

“Understood.” He nodded, getting up to make his way to his assigned position. 

“You,” Adam continued, looking over at the hunched over Eirian. “How’re you doing?”

“Uh… I haven’t got much Aura left. But I can give you some cover from a distance if you can find me a good place to hide.” She offered, lifting up her rifle to emphasise her point.

He nodded at that. “There’s a covered spot over on that short tower there. The roof will stop the Nevermore from seeing you,  _ if  _ you don’t bring attention to yourself.”

Nervously, she nodded and went to leave, pausing when Adam spoke up again. “I need you to fire some bullets at me.”

“What? Why?”

“Just do it.” His harsh tone made her frown deeply. 

Still, she didn’t want to get any more on his bad side. So, with a sigh, she aimed her rifle at him and fired repeatedly. Surprisingly, he blocked all her rounds with his sword, the metal lighting up with each strike before dying back down.

“Alright. That should do it.” He muttered to himself.

She could only stare down at him in confusion. Without another word, she turned and left Adam to whatever he had planned, rushing through the ruins up to the tower he pointed out. 

Footsteps echoed through the tower as she ran up the stone staircase. Thin windows let in some sunlight, letting her see what was doing outside somewhat. Occassionally, the Nevermore flew right past her, too far away for Eirian to see what was happening. Along with its loud calls, she could hear rapid gunfire and shouting in the distance. Sounded like Zanthus reached his post.

Taking two steps at a time, she rushed up the rest of the stairs to the top of the tower. At least, what was left of the tower. 

Giant holes littered the whole room. Vines and other plantlife grew between the cracks, climbing up the side of the tower and wrapping around the cracked structures that held up the roof. Nearing one of the holes, Eirian kneeled down and aimed her rifle, looking through the scope as she scanned the entire battlefield in front of her.

Sure enough, she quickly found Zanthus on top of the opposite tower. His hands clenched tightly into fists, the vambraces he was wearing having shifted into thick guns that sat right on top of his wrists. Bullets shot out rapidly, manging to keep the Nevermore from flying straight for him. 

Ruri was still on top of its skull. As it flipped and spun around in the air, Eirian found it difficult trying to get a clear shot on it, only able to kneel there and wait for the perfect moment. 

Suddenly, Ruri unhooked one of her weapons and tossed it to Zanthus. He gripped it tightly with both hands and pulled harshly. Quickly, Ruri was pulled right off the Nevermore, flying towards him with her other sword still lodged into its skull.

In one swift movement, the blade tore through the soft flesh of the Nevermore’s mouth and returned back to its owner. Torn flesh bled profusely, blood dripping down to the ground below while the beast cried out, unable to stop itself as it flew straight to where Eirian was hiding. Only able to gasp in fear, she stumbled as the Nevermore collided with the tower right below her feet, slamming into the stonework with its whole body.

Massive weight and power behind it, the weakened stone finally gave way, and Eirian found herself falling amongst giant boulders and rocks. With a grunt, she jumped between the rocks, looking down to see the Nevermore chasing after her with its mutilated mouth wide open.

Jumping from a rock just as it lunged, she watched it bite down on the rubble unsuspectingly. Any amusement she had felt vanished when it simply broke the boulder into pieces with its powerful beak. Shards flew in every direction, barely missing the student as she jumped over to another nearby tower. 

Sparks flew as she slammed her sword into the stone. Sliding down, she gripped onto the slippery stone in a desperate attempt to find some bit to hold onto. Thankfully, she came to an abrupt stop with her sword driven deep into the wall.

Dangling there, she glanced back to see the Nevermore taking flight again. She had to move. 

Glancing around frantically, she noticed a small window just below her. Something big enough for her to slip through. So, carefully, she started climbing down while her friends kept the Nevermore’s attention on them. 

She couldn’t even see where they were. How they were faring. It was horrible, something she never wanted to feel again. She had to get down and help them out.

Finally, she swung through the window and into the tower. Every muscle ached with the exertion. Tense limbs that burned with every step she took, she pushed the uncomfortable sensation down and made her way to the top of the tower. 

Unlike the other one, this one had no roof to cover her. Exposed to the open skies above, her sword shifted back into rifle mode, and the student took her position with a foot up on a stone. Aiming through her scope, she finally noticed Adam himself having appeared on the tallest tower.

He wasn’t moving. Legs spread and his hand on his sword, he waited patiently while Ruri and Zanthus were taking care of the Nevermore. 

Too powerful for Zanthus to pull down, even with Ruri helping, they jumped through the ruins with the Grimm following close by, using the terrain to deal constant damage to it. Bursting through another tower, Zanthus used the rubble as makeshift steps to lift himself up, making his way up to where Adam was.

Yet the Nevermore was right behind him. Opening its mouth in an attempt to swallow him whole, Eirian aimed her rifle and took the shot. Relief washed over her when the bullet pierced through the roof of its mouth. Beak clamping shut, Zanthus managed to get away while the Nevermore retreated.

She didn’t relent as she shot at the Grimm again. Piercing through its wings and skull, it angrily cried at the attack and turned its attention back to her, diving straight for Eirian again.

She didn’t let the fear stop her this time. Spinning her sword as the blade flicked back open, she needed the right moment. When the Grimm was practically face to face, she jumped right for it. Hands gripped its skull tightly, fingers hooking under the top of its mangled beak. With her stuck on its face, the Nevermore lurched backwards with its head lifting up. 

Eirian found herself tossed over its head with the sudden movement. Sword in hand, she drove the blade deep into its flesh, stopping her fall and anchoring herself to it.

With a flap of its giant wings, the Nevermore retreated away from the ruins, taking itself and Eirian back up to the skies. Holding on for dear life, she had to move, making her way slowly along the beast’s back towards its wing. Seeing it so up close was something of an incredible experience, if it wasn’t trying to kill her and her friends.

One hand grabbing the Nevermore’s feathers, Eirian raised her sword high and drove it into the Grimm’s wing, burying it to the hilt. The sudden jerk dislodged her from its back. However, the weight behind the sword had it slice through the Nevermore’s wing like butter, leaving a gash behind as both human and Grimm plummeted to the ground. 

Heart beating fast and all the air leaving her lungs, Eirian could only watch the ground approach fast with wide eyes. There was no way her Aura would sustain such a fall after the long fight she had been through.

Suddenly, someone grabbed hold of her. Feeling arms wrapped around her waist, she turned to see Adam glaring down at her, holding her tightly as he grabbed the chain tightly. 

From the top of the tower, Zanthus had hold of the other end. With gritted teeth, he yanked the chain harshly, pulling the two back to safety while the Nevermore continued to plummet. Wings frantically flapping, it could only let out a loud cry before it hit the side of the cliff. The ground gave way. Rocks plummeting down to the river below, the Nevermore’s talons clawed at the cliff side before it too lost its grip.

Its cries echoed through the forest as it plummeted to its death. 

Shock made Eirian feel numb. She could barely react when she landed on top of the tower, quickly let go by Adam as he walked away with a scowl on his face. Breathing heavily, she looked down at her shaking hands, unable to believe what they had just done before Zanthus pulled her into a tight hug.

“You idiot.” He scolded, cupping the back of her head while burying his face into her shoulder. “You crazy idiot.”

“I’m okay.” She breathed, returning the hug with a shaky exhale. “It’s alright. We did it.”

A few feet from them, Adam turned his head to them and snapped. “We almost had a casualty with a stunt like that. What would’ve happened if I didn’t catch you?”

“She’s safe now, isn’t she?” Zanthus shot back, glaring over his shoulder at Adam.

“That’s not the point. You had an order, and you went against it. That could’ve cost us everything.”

“Just leave her alone.” Zanthus had gotten up to his feet. Squaring off against Adam, he added with an aggressive bark. “We can get outta here, or we can stand here and argue about things that don’t matter. What’d you wanna do?”

Eirian only sat there while Ruri kneeled down beside her. A comforting hand on her shoulder, the two girls watched while their allies argued back and forth. Adam didn’t say anything immediately to that. Rather, he stood there with a narrowed eye, glancing between Zanthus and Eirian multiple times before turning around.

Walking away from them, he didn’t say a word. 

Even though he stood up for her, Eirian noticed Zanthus’ hands shaking by his sides. Small quivering that he tried to hide. Still, he paid it no attention as he instead turned his attention back to her and Ruri.

“Come on,” he muttered, helping Eirian to her feet. “Let’s get you outta here.”

He didn’t move from her side even as they left the Emerald Forest. Adam kept to the front, leading the others back to the waiting point where Ozpin and the professors were waiting for them. 

Any words of congratulations were sparse. They only fell on deaf ears anyway, Eirian feeling too drained and confused to pay any attention to those around her. Rather, her mind could only focus on before. Adam had saved her. Even after all the things he said to her, the way he looked at her, he still saved her life. 

Why?

The answer wasn’t something she would find quickly. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him glancing over at her. Angry, hateful, she knew the emotions in that one blue eye all too well, slinking into Zanthus’ grip for comfort. He was more than willing to give it, shielding his friend away from the bitter words and harsh insults thrown at her.

Shortly after they passed the Initiation, others had joined them. Bruised and battered students that formed alliances too. Some looked even worse than Eirian and her group did, limping towards the Main Hall for the passing ceremony and the formation of their teams. 

Her team. 

She hadn’t even realised the teams until she was up on that stage. Standing beside Ruri, she listened as Ozpin praised them. “You four had worked together and managed to take down one of the most dangerous Grimm to dwell in the Emerald Forest. Your teamwork and abilities were noted, and I am pleased to say that you all have exceeded our expectations for these students.”

Eirian’s smile turned bright at that. 

“Still, you four have a long road ahead. There are always things that you must improve, and alliances you must foster, but with time, I believe you four will become a fine team here at Beacon.” Gesturing to the board above him, Ozpin loudly announced with a warm smile. “From this day forward, you four shall be named Team AZRE, with Adam Taurus as your leader.”

Everyone glanced down at Adam. Even he seemed surprised with the reveal, staring up at Ozpin with a wide eye and agape mouth. 

Closing the distance between them, Ozpin placed a tender hand on the teenage boy’s shoulder. “This is a serious responsibility. Please think about the type of leader you wish to be, Mr Taurus.”

Letting his hand drop from the boy’s shoulder, he left Adam standing there, seeming deep in thought, while he turned to the other three standing there. Zanthus could only stare up at the portraits on the screen, a shocked look fading away to a genuine smile. Eirian shared the sentiment, feeling pride and excitement when she realised that she had made it, she had gotten into Beacon Academy. 

Hands balled up, she waved her arms, unable to contain her bursting emotions, and practically jumped on top of Ruri in a tight embrace. The poor girl stiffening from the touch, she looked at the side of Eirian’s head before gingerly patting her back.

Watching them all reacting to the news, Ozpin leaned more onto his cane and chuckled to himself. 

“This will be an interesting journey.”


	7. Bubbling Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team AZRE has formed, marking their debut in Beacon Academy for the four years to come. Yet teamwork is the last thing on Adam's mind, unwilling to let his teammates pass the hard wall he's build around himself. As they settle down in their dorms, tensions barely hidden beneath the surface start to boil over, and soon Adam's own prejudice towards the human race come to cause nothing but trouble in the new team.

“Eirian, did you get us lost?”

Adam never would’ve thought it before, but he wasn’t going to trust Eirian with directions ever again.

With the Initiation over and all the students that passed put into teams of four, Ozpin had sent them over to see their new dorms. At least, that was the plan, before Eirian took the lead of the group and marched them across the Academy grounds to Gods know where. The Headmaster Tower and Main Hall far behind them, he glanced around at the confusing buildings while Zanthus and Eirian carried on chatting with each other.

“I know where we’re going!” She defended herself, lugging her personal belongings behind her. “It’s just taking a little longer to get a gist of the place.”

He should’ve left and went to find the dorms himself. The tempting offer was still there, with the others too distracted to notice him even leaving.

One step away, though, and he felt someone grabbing onto his lower arm. Eyes narrowing at the intrusion of personal space, he looked down. It wasn’t a surprise when she saw Ruri grabbing him with a deathly hold. 

She didn’t say anything. She didn’t need to, looking up at Adam with that intense glare before focusing on Zanthus and Eirian again. He wasn’t going anywhere. 

Resigned to his fate, he simply walked behind the eccentric girl and her feline friend, but if he was forced to stick around, he would do so with the biggest scowl he could manage. Ruri seemed unaffected by it. Actually, she didn’t seem to be feeling any strong feelings, rather looking around at the buildings that surrounded them like she was a content tourist. 

Thankfully, the group wasn't lost for long. Out of the blue, Eirian stopped dead in her tracks, and Adam had to bite back a snapping response when he nearly ran into the back of her. 

“Found it!” She cheerfully shouted. 

Following her pointing finger, he noticed a building in the distance. A bit away from the cluster of other buildings in the Academy’s grounds, it was certainly built with housing many people in mind. 

Countless windows decorated the outside, with numerous floors to provide enough rooms for Beacon’s student population. Some were open so that the gentle breeze could come through. Others were locked tight, the curtains drawn to hide away whatever was hiding in the dorm room. With a deeper red brickwork and white accents running around the roof and doorways, it stuck out compared to the more pristine white buildings the students had seen before. 

Many of the other new students had found it already. While most had gone inside to see their new dorm room for the first time, others remained outside. Hanging out together, they were happily chatting amongst friends, while other older looking students were chilling under the oak trees that lined the chiseled stone brick paths. 

Before he could even speak, Eirian was rushing towards the building with blinding speed, leaving the rest in the dust. Literally. 

Coughing, he glared at the retreating human while Ruri waved the dust out of her face. Zanthus didn’t seem phased at all. Rather, he simply chuckled at her antics and turned to the other members of his new team.

“Come on,” he urged, letting Ruri go before him. “Let’s see our new room.”

Now that he was actually there, Adam had to acknowledge his niggling thoughts on the dorm room itself. While he was grateful for somewhere to sleep that had a bed and a sturdy roof, he wasn’t eager to be sharing that same room with three other people. 

The itchy burning sensation on the left side of his face brutally reminded him of the inevitable. There was no way he could keep his bandage on, it made his skin sweat, and the uncomfortable itchiness would drive him up the wall more than dealing with the hyperactive human he was forced to bunk with. 

His sore and tender wound made his temper worse. Scowl deepening, he had no other choice than to follow after the others. 

Luckily, the few strangers by the main dorm entrance were too distracted by their own conversations to pay any heed to the newcomers. All they gave were a few confused looks when Eirian barreled past them. By the time the rest of her team caught up, they were back to talking about whatever they were talking about. 

The inside of the dorms were certainly simplistic. Not in a negative way, Adam did like how the cream walls and deep red carpet melded together, with the white light lamps hanging above them on the high ceiling. It wasn’t like the dated look back in the hostel. 

Muffled footsteps echoed through the long hallways, with each one looking the exact same as the last. Floor after floor, the hallways never changed, with the same amount of doors on both sides. Some were open, the students inside either settling in or casually sitting around with their teammates. Others were shut, but Adam could still hear muffled talking from behind the dark oak doors. 

Eirian was long gone. Thankfully they knew the number their dorm room was, but it was annoying that one of their teammates ran off like that. 

Finally, on the top floor of the dorms, the group found their dorm.  _ Number 74.  _ The number drilled into the door shone a light silver colour in the bright hallway lights. As Adam and his two companions approached it, they spotted Eirian standing there casually, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet until she spotted her teammates.

“Oh, there you are!” She pointed out, beaming brightly as she ran over to them. “I didn’t even know you guys weren't with me until I looked behind. You just disappeared!”

“That happens when you run off ahead of us.” Adam retorted gruffly. 

That eagerness and warmth dampened at his harsh tone. While she wasn’t completely drained, it was certainly more muted, her smile turning strained as she watched him barge past her to get into the dorm room. 

As he opened the door and looked inside for the first time, he was pleasantly surprised at it all. It was by no means a palace. It was big enough to fit four single beds, a desk shoved in the corner, and a set of drawers that separated them into pairs on each side of the room. Wandering inside, he noted the red and cream circular rug that stretched across the floor, quickly removing his shoes and leaving them by the door before going any further inside. 

Tossing his duffle bag on the bed shoved against the left wall of the room, he laid down on top of it, feeling the soft duvet under his hands as the others joined him. 

As usual, Eirian was the first to come in. 

“Woaaah, this place is so nice! Definitely nicer than the motel we stayed in.” With a grunt, she lifted her heavy looking luggage up on the bed farthest away from Adam’s, wasting no time in unpacking.

While she tossed numerous belongings out, Zanthus and Ruri casually strolled in. Immediately, Ruri removed her shoes, laying them next to Adam’s before she took another step, pulling her massive suitcase in with some visible strain. Zanthus did the same, but while Adam and Ruri’s shoes were easy to slip right off, his were more complicated.

Even with open toed sandals on his feet, the constricting leather straps that wrapped all the way to his knees provided a challenge. A metal knee guard attached to the top of his shoes, he ended up having to sit on the floor like a child while he fiddled with the many buckles and straps that kept his shoes from slipping off while walking. 

From his bed, Adam simply watched. While Eirian was busy rushing around the room, putting away her many possessions, Ruri was taking things at a much slower pace. Many of the things she pulled out were necessities. Clothes, hairbrush, and then there were the books. Thick hardbacks, small novellas, giant encyclopedias that could double as door stoppers. How did she fit all of that in her suitcase?

The weirdest were to come when he noticed her pulled out countless bundles of string and a whole packet of needles. Finally, he piped up. “Thinking about taking up taxidermy, Ruri?”

She didn’t respond. Still focused on her things, he waited for an answer, getting annoyed when he got none. As he sat up, Eirian leaned from behind Ruri, quickly pointing out while wiping down something in her hands. “She’s deaf.”

“Deaf?” Zanthus piped up, finally managing to get his shoes off as he left them by the door with the other pairs. 

“Yup.” Putting whatever she was dusting down on her bed, Eirian went to put her numerous clothes in the closet shoved against the wall by her bed. “If any of you guys know sign language, it’d make the whole talking thing easier.”

Both of the boys shared a look. Ears twitching nervously, Zanthus rubbed the back of his head when Ruri turned to face them, holding a book in hand as she stared him down. “I don’t know any. Sorry.”

He didn’t expect Ruri to seem so deflated at that. She seemingly accepted that, moving to put the rest of her books in the small bookshelf by her chosen bed. While she did so, Adam noticed Eirian and Zanthus turning to him, waiting silently for his answer.

With a deep sigh, he shook his head. “I knew a few deaf Faunus but we only had a few hand signals for missions. Nothing for casual conversation.”

“Missions? What’d you do before you came here?” Zanthus’ question had Adam freeze up.

Almost subconsciously, he eyed his duffel bag, knowing that just under a few paper letters, clothes and family possessions, his White Fang mask was there for anyone to find. He fought against the urge to grab his bag and hold onto it. No doubt it would raise questions, so he left it alone and answered quietly. 

“I used to live in Menagerie.” He started, not meeting their eyes as he tried to avoid any criminalising information. “It was as close to a home I had. Didn’t stay there long, and left completely about two years ago. Lived outside the kingdoms with other Faunus since.”

“Did you ever have trouble with… them?” Zanthus asked quietly.

Even though he didn’t say their name, the way his face darkened significantly told Adam everything. “No.”

While Zanthus seemed grim with the mention of the White Fang, Eirian was still her usual bubbly self, rushing around Ruri’s bed and jumping onto the last free one right next to Adam’s. Mattress squeaking under her weight, Adam moved backwards from her with a heated glare.

“I never knew you were from Menagerie!” She leaned forward with her grin widening. “It’s so nice to meet another person from home! What a small world!”

“You’re... from Menagerie?” Adam questioned. His voice had dropped to a harsh whisper, the burning anger in his gut worsening when Eirian simply nodded with that same stupid smile on her face. 

Teeth gritted together. Menagerie was his home, and was the Faunus’ home. 

“What was a human doing in Menagerie?” He snapped, getting up to his feet with his frown turning into a full snarl. “Do you think we want your kind there after spending so long under the humans’ boot?”

Eirian’s face dropped at that. Hurting, she couldn’t even look Adam in his eyes, rather focusing on the duvet underneath her as she tried to placate his rage. “My mom-”

“What, was your mom a Faunus?!”

“N-No. She came from Mantle.” She bit her lower lip hard. The way her voice cracked, he knew she was close to breaking, seeing those red eyes glistening when she looked up at her. “Menagerie is my home.”

“It’s the  _ Faunus’ _ home! A place of safety, away from people like you!”

“Adam, that’s enough!” Zanthus immediately jumped in, standing between the enraged Faunus and his friend. 

Slit pupils staring straight at him, unrelenting even when his own anger kept bubbling over, but the target of his rage and grief hid behind the built teenage boy, shrinking into herself while the two boys went at each other. 

“I have had  _ enough  _ of your bullshit with Eirian! Our first day together, and you’re already tearing into her!” Zanthus snapped, his hands balling into fists as his own anger became apparent. “What the hell’s wrong with you?! Why do you have to tear her down every chance you get?!”

“I am saying what needs to be said! Unlike you, who’s content to sit there and be a human’s pet just because you don’t want to hurt her feelings!” The insult had Zanthus seething with rage. 

“How dare you! I’m no one’s pet, and I’d rather be a human’s friend than a fucking asshole’s friend!” Turning to the side slightly, he gestured to Eirian, who was still trying to hide away from the attention, as he continued harshly. “What, because she’s a human, you think you can treat her exactly how the humans treated us?”

“What I’ve done to her is  _ nowhere  _ as bad as what was done to the Faunus! Did you forget what the SDC is doing right now in Mantle? Do you even remember Menagerie’s own history with Atlas, how the Faunus were dragged to a desert island to be used as cheap labour?”

“Stop using the sins of the past to hurt people now! Yes, the Faunus are still treated like slaves in the SDC. Yes, we are still dealing with people hating us for simply being who we are. But surely going through that means you would never want another living being to feel that hate and pain?” Zanthus’ voice turned desperate now. “Why not use your anger for something good?”

“You don’t know me or what I’m fighting for!” Adam was ready to fight. He could feel his patience quickly running out, and his choices were there in front of him.

Stay and lose his cool, which would risk him doing something he would regret, or leave the room and the argument all together. The way he was steaming, there was no way he would attempt to see anything from Zanthus’ view.

“You’re right, I don’t know you.” Zanthus agreed, his tone cold with his eyes narrowing. “And you don’t know Eirian, or myself for that matter. You have no idea what we've been through, and neither do we. But what I do know is that, whether we want you or not, we’re a  _ team _ , and you’re our leader.”

He didn’t want to be. Adam didn’t even know if he could be a good leader, and with how easily he found himself losing it when Eirian so much as speaks, he knew that he would not last long. What was Professor Ozpin thinking?

As he stood there, a hand suddenly grabbed hold of his hand. Twitching, he had to fight the urge to wrench his hand away, looking to the side to see Ruri having approached him. Without a word, she escorted him to the door and, with their shoes in hand, pulled him out of the room. Zanthus and Eirian didn’t even try to bring them back as she closed the door. 

Away from the arguing and tension, Adam would’ve thought that his temper would’ve at least simmered a bit. Yet as he was dragged down the hallway, he found his rage and frustration worsen, unable to stop himself from gritting his teeth together in a desperate attempt to calm down. 

Ruri didn’t stop. Adam’s hand in her grip, she led him through the hallways and down the staircase. Those that were outside the dorm rooms before were still there. Glancing over the new students’ way, they seemed interested in the sight, noticing Ruri’s stern expression while Adam was one mild inconvenience away from a full blown meltdown. He must have seemed like a feral animal, as they quickly looked away again and muttered inaudible words to their friends. 

Everything felt like it was climbing on top of him. A heavy weight sitting on his shoulders, it wasn’t just the anger anymore. Guilt, shame, confusion, it bubbled in his stomach and spilled over the edge, leaving a wreck who could only storm after his teammate. 

Eventually, his already thin patience had truly snapped, and he ended up pulling his hand free from Ruri’s grip. As she looked back at him, he let his thoughts come up to the surface. “Where’re you even taking me? I don’t need to be taken out the argument like a child!”

Even though she didn’t say anything, the annoyed look she gave him said it all. No one was particularly happy with him today.

Not even himself.

However, she didn’t try to grab him again. Seeing the enraged teenager in front of her, Ruri knew better than to anger him further, instead gesturing for him to follow her with a flick of her hand. For a moment, he thought against it. He could easily go and find somewhere quiet to calm down. Yet, something was telling him that maybe he should follow her.

Out of the whole team, Ruri was the one that didn’t piss him off. There could be no harm in seeing what a fellow Faunus wanted.

While his scowl didn’t vanish, he did give in to her request and followed after her. He remained by her side. Neither talking, they instead took to looking at the busy Academy around them, taking in the sights, smells and sounds of their new life there at Beacon. If Adam wasn’t still steaming at the argument, he would’ve appreciated his new home some more. 

As it turned out, Ruri not speaking had its ups and downs. With Adam feeling like he would unravel at the slightest word spoken, and whatever lecture she no doubt wanted to give him left unspoken, the silence gave him time to wind down and for coherent thought to have a chance against raging instinct.

The silence was also the problem. Without his anger to keep him focused, his thoughts began to wander.

Conflicting thoughts. One voice told him that he was the same monster that Blake thought he was, another one comforted him and blamed Eirian and Zanthus. It’s their fault for provoking him. It was Zanthus’ fault for thinking he knew anything about Adam. It was Eirian’s fault for desecrating the Faunus’ last haven in Remnant. 

It was his fault for saying those horrible things to his team. 

He didn’t want to give it much thought. The intrusive voice digging its words into him like claws, whispering black speech into his mind no matter how hard he tried. It was making him feel worse. 

Thankfully, his attention was brought back to the present with Ruri gently placing a hand on his shoulder. As he glanced around in confusion, the lack of buildings and students were the first thing he noticed, seeing only trees and trimmed grass with smaller paths leading through them. They certainly weren't near the dorm rooms or the main buildings anymore. 

As Ruri sat down on the lush, green grass, Adam could only stand there awkwardly with a hand rubbing his upper arm. “Uh… why’d you bring me here?”

Comfortable, she gestured to the empty spot in front of her, waiting patiently while Adam tried to figure out what exactly she wanted. Slowly, he took the spot offered to him. It wasn’t the strangest thing asked of him. That much was certain. 

“Okay…” He muttered, eyeing Ruri up as he quickly added. “This better not be an impromptu therapy session. I do like you, Ruri, but I don’t exactly know you.”

Her look was unamused. Eyebrows furrowed, she simply crossed her legs and rested her hands on her knees, her eyes focused completely on Adam. Unmoving. Creepy is actually the word he would use to describe it. 

Unsure, he crossed his legs too, mirroring the position Ruri was sitting in until her expression softened. Without speaking, he found himself focusing on her face. It was the only chance he had to get some idea about what she was thinking or feeling. Slight changes in her expressions, the lift of her eyebrows or the way the corners of her thin lips perked up, one had to look closely to understand her properly. 

Happy with what he was doing, she inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. Adam could only sit there in confusion. 

Quietly, he looked around, finding hardly anyone around before turning his attention back to Ruri. Even when she was supposed to be relaxed, she still seemed so stiff and focused. Was she always like that?

“Uh…” He muttered to himself. “I don’t actually… am I supposed to do it too?”

His question was more for himself than her. 

Slowly, those purple eyes opened again, and when she saw Adam sitting there feeling like a huge idiot, she was  _ not  _ happy. 

Her frown deepening, Adam could only defend himself. “Well, if you don’t tell me, how am I supposed to know?”

Oh.

Her expression didn’t change as he quickly added gingerly. “Right… Can’t speak. Sorry.”

She didn’t bother trying to sign. With Adam only knowing a few words, it would’ve been pointless, but this whole communication problem was getting on both their nerves. Wasn’t she supposed to stop him from getting angry again?

Suddenly, it clicked. Looking over her posture and hands, he thought about it, keeping his voice low as he asked softly. “Are you trying to meditate?”

Much to his surprise, she nodded with her frown softening into a faint smile. It was a relief to finally figure it out. Still, there was something bothering him.

“I don’t think sitting here and practicing my breathing will help the situation.” He confessed.

She didn’t seem angry at that. Unlike before where every little thing made her glare at Adam, his honest confession had her sitting there thoughtful, glancing off to the side for a moment. 

Without any prompt, Adam sighed deeply, adjusting in his upright posture. “I guess it couldn’t hurt…”

Slowly, he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. To be honest, he never tried meditation, finding the practice completely redundant, but if Ruri was giving him a way to control his temper, what harm could it do to try it?

Unable to see what was happening around him, Adam was forced to use his other senses to get a feel of the world. The wind blowing in his ears, its cool touch on his bare skin, the way it carried the scent of freshly cut grass. It wasn’t just that. Birds chirped in the trees. The sun was warm on his back. Grass brushed up against his covered legs.

With his mind focusing on the world around him, he found that the thoughts plaguing him slipped away. It was peaceful. Painful twisting in his gut, the sensations he was so used to feeling, faded with the heavy weight that sat on his shoulders.

That is, until he felt himself slipping. Tear filled red eyes clear to see, staring up at him as those same words echoed in his ears. The sharp pain in his cheek and the hateful words spat at him. The crippling loneliness, guilt and fear returning with his stomach flipping. His chest felt tight. Almost like a weight was sitting right on top of him. He couldn’t breathe.

It hurt. 

_ Don’t ever talk to me again! _

_ I know exactly who you are. _

_ Why do you want to tear her down every chance you get?! _

The words felt like countless blows to him. They hit him where it hurt the worst, digging in and infecting Adam with its malice and negativity. A soft touch on his knee jolted him out of his panicked state.

Uncovered eye shooting open, he found himself hyperventilating, looking around in a blind panic while Ruri sat there in front of him. Her hand stayed on his knee, the touch comforting as she watched him with a worried expression. Racing thoughts couldn’t focus on it. Chest burning no matter how hard he breathed, Adam scrambled to his feet without a second thought.

“I-I’m sorry.” He stammered, unable to think straight as he ran off from Ruri.

She didn’t call out to him. She couldn’t. Instead, she watched him run off with saddened eyes, unmoving from her spot. Adam didn’t look back to see what she was doing. He couldn’t. With lungs burning and head swimming, he stumbled over his own two feet, barely able to think straight with those same words chasing after him. 

He didn’t want to listen to them. He couldn’t, trying to focus on anything in hopes of ignoring those familiar voices haunting him. 

They didn’t even bother him at night time anymore. Every minute of his day was haunted by the past, and with his arguments with his team, he found himself spiralling further and further out of control. Ruri had meant well, but given the chance, his intrusive thoughts had the uncanny ability to squirm their way back into his head.

Legs burned with each step he took. After the beating he got from the Ursa, being used as a landing mat by Eirian, and the prolonged fight with the Nevermore just that morning, his body had little time to recover from the pain and exhaustion. After running for who knows how long, he started to slow down to a stop when he realised where he ran to.

Back to the dorm rooms. 

The people from before were gone, thankfully, with Adam wanting nothing to do with anyone at that moment. 

When he slipped inside, he saw that hardly anyone was on the ground floor of the dorms. Rooms saved for laundry, the bathrooms and lounge for relaxing in, he slipped by the lounge with voices chattering nonchalantly inside. As he spared the room a glance, he noticed a few strangers sitting on one of the large couches.

They didn’t notice him. Carrying on with whatever they were discussing, they paid no heed to the frazzled teenager as he snuck away, moving further down the hallway until he slipped into one of the free bathrooms. 

Pristine, tiled walls wiped down until they shimmered in the same white, fluorescent lights, the white walls were offset with the dark floor tiles, bumpy surfaces stopping anyone from slipping when they finished showering in one of the many shower cubicles. Breathing heavy, Adam ignored those showers and made a beeline straight for the sinks built into the walls. 

Hands gripping the white porcelain, he felt close to vomiting. Sweat was practically dripping down his face now. Without a second thought, he ripped the bandage off his face, throwing it away with an agitated growl before staring at the reflection left behind. He never looked so  _ ugly.  _ Reddened skin around the scar from the bandage and sweat irritating it, he felt his chest ache even more, like he was moments away from a heart attack.

He knew it wasn’t. The pain, the nausea, the way his throat closed up and how his heart hammered away, it was another attack. It felt like they were more and more common nowadays.

While his hands shook terribly, Adam quickly let both faucets on the sink run, ripping off his one glove with his teeth before shoving his hands under the running water. Cold water on hot skin sent a sharp sensation up both his arms. It wet his hands, and soon he started splashing it on his face. 

It almost snapped him back to reality, Adam focusing on that feeling with his breathing turning into gasps for air. 

The world started spinning at that point. Fuzzy colours around him, his reflection just a blur to Adam, he ended up sitting on the floor next to the sink with his head in his hands. The sound of the water running filled the dead air. That, and the sound of Adam’s gasping and whimpering with the intrusive thoughts coming back with a vengeance.

All the vile words they spewed at him, he agreed. All the hate they threw at everyone else, he agreed. It all swirled inside him like a storm with no end. 

He just wanted one moment of peace. He didn’t want to be angry anymore, he didn’t want the past chasing after him no matter where he ran. He wanted Blake.

But he didn’t deserve Blake. 

With no windows in the bathrooms, he had no idea how long he locked himself away in the bathrooms. Occasionally, someone tried to come in, only to find the door locked and the sound of water running muffled through the heavy door. Some simply walked away to wait until the bathroom was empty, but others banged on the door and demanded to be let in so they could wash before bedtime. 

After the initial crippling anxiety that left Adam sitting there on the floor, he was too exhausted to move. Dull eyes stared at the wall opposite him. He could see his vague silhouette in the reflective tiles, but not enough to see his brand out on show, visible to anyone who could walk into the bathroom if it was not locked. Apart from a few angry knocking and curses being thrown from behind the door, no one stuck around long enough to try and get inside. 

Slowly, his gaze shifted from the wall to the lone bandage discarded on the floor. After weeks of wearing it and not changing into fresh bandages, the once white fluff had now yellowed. He didn’t want to put it back on his face. Yet he didn’t have anything else, at least at that moment. 

With limbs that felt way too heavy, he shuffled over to where the bandage was left. It didn’t even feel soft to the touch anymore. It almost felt like rough cotton, sending unpleasant sensations up Adam’s fingers while he grimaced quietly. There was nothing else. He knew that, and with a heavy sigh, he slipped the bandage back on, covering the brand from any prying stares. 

As he grabbed the glove that he tore off earlier, Adam struggled to his feet. Unsteady, he could still feel the lingering effects over him, just wanting to go to bed and hide under the covers for the rest of the school year. It had only been  _ one day. _

Not bothering to put the glove on, he finally found the strength to unlock the door and leave the safety of the dorms’ bathroom. With a quick glance through the slightly open door, and seeing no one around to bother him, he slipped out and closed the door behind him, quickly disappearing before any of the students in the lounge room decided to walk out into the hallway at that moment. 

All the way up the staircase, his mind trailed to what was no doubt waiting for him back in his room. He no longer had his own. He had to share with people. People that hated him. 

What fun. 

Though, there was no way to avoid it. Even with his thoughts bothering him, he did his best to ignore them and kept walking. They were stubborn, but so was Adam. 

Sure enough, he reached the empty hallway his dorm room was on. With the window at the end of the hall, he could see the evening skies fading to night, with the hallway lights off since no one was around. Some of the dorm doors were open though. Warm lights glowing from within, he ignored them as he passed by, hearing snippets of conversations that were left unfinished as he walked away.

Creeping towards his own dorm, he could hear voices from within. His walk slowed down to a crawl, and sure enough, he found himself standing right outside the slightly ajar door. Glancing down, he could see one of Ruri’s encyclopedias wedged in with a breeze flowing through. No doubt one of his roommates had opened the windows to let fresh air in. 

Listening closely, he heard Eirian pipe up. “He’s been gone for a long time.”

She sounded worried. Why?

“He’s probably in the library or something.” Zanthus pointed out, sounding far less worried for their missing leader as he quickly added. “Besides, I wanna enjoy the quiet before he comes back to ruin it.”

“...Zanthus?”

“Hmm?”

“Did… did I do something wrong back there?” Eirian paused for a moment. “I’m glad you stood up for me, but… I don’t know. I feel like it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“Eirian, don’t think that.” The creaking of a bed followed after that. 

Whether Zanthus got off a bed or sat down on one, Adam didn’t know, but he quickly ignored that small detail as the other male Faunus continued in a softer tone. “The only one at fault is Adam. I don’t care what he or other Faunus think about Menagerie, but it’s just as much your home as it is theirs.”

“That’s the thing. So many Faunus back home felt the same. They told me and my mom that we shouldn’t be there, that we didn’t belong there. How can so many people be wrong about something? Maybe Menagerie should stay a Faunus only kingdom.”

“Keeping Faunus and humans separated won’t solve anything.” Zanthus countered in a defensive tone. “Don’t let them get into your head with their backwards ideas. You’re a good person, and I’m sure your mom is too. Both of you deserve to live in peace wherever you want.”

“Yeah… My mom was.” Was?

The way Eirian phrased that had Adam stiffen up. By the way Zanthus’ voice quickly cracked, he too was shocked with the implied status of Eirian’s mother.

“Oh… Eirian, I’m sorry.”

“No, no. It’s okay.” She was quick to brush off his blunder. “I just… I don’t wanna talk about her.”

Everything fell silent after that. Hiding in the shadows by the door, Adam thought about what he should do. Should he go in at that moment? Try to pretend that he didn’t hear Eirian’s confessions about her deceased mother? Knowing that she was no longer alive did little to curb Adam’s guilt. That was a new low for him. 

Before he could move, he heard Zanthus sigh loudly. “Are you sure you didn’t see where he ran off too?”

At first it sounded like he was still talking to Eirian, but with no reply, Adam quickly realised that he was in fact talking to Ruri. She must have returned during the time he locked himself in the bathroom. 

After a few moments of tense silence, Zanthus carried on. “If you want, I’ll go look for him in a minute. Make sure he didn’t get lost again.”

“I’d like that.” She sounded so  _ relieved. _

Relieved was the last thing Adam would describe Zanthus as, though. In fact, his voice dropped down to a serious tone, as if he didn’t want anyone to overhear them. 

“Eirian. You gotta listen to me now.” Adam’s attention perked at that. “I know you want to be nice to Adam, and you’re just that kinda person who wants to make friends, but he’s not the type of person you want to be friends with.”

“No, it’s okay! He just needs a friend right now. I don’t mind doing it.”

“You shouldn’t have to do it. You don’t need to take on the problems of someone else when they don’t respect you.” He let out another sigh at that. “I don’t want him coming back and thinking that treating you that way is alright. That he can just blow up the next time you say something he doesn’t like. You deserve better than that.”

“You really think so?”

“ _ Yes. _ ” He sounded so shocked that she would say that.

And honestly? Adam was too. He knew Eirian had a habit of ignoring or not getting it when people are horrible to her, but actually hearing it from her, it made him frown deeply. 

Leaning against the wall right next to the doorframe, he crossed his arms while Zanthus got to the point. “Honestly, I’m gonna come out and say it. I think it’s best that we keep things strictly professional with Adam. Do whatever we have to for school, but that’s it.”

“But we’re a team…”

“And we’ll still be a team. But Adam’s not our friend and he is not interested in being our friend. So we won’t either.” Another pause, longer than the previous ones. Adam almost thought the conversation was over before Zanthus added. “I’m sorry, guys. I really am. I thought Adam coulda been a good friend, but now that I’ve seen what he’s like… it’s just not worth it shouldering his problems on top of ours. It’s not fair.”

Disappointment spread through his gut. Gaze falling to the deep red carpet, he listened as Eirian finally responded to Zanthus’ suggestions. “...Okay.”

It ended at that. Adam didn’t dare peek around the doorframe in case he was noticed, rather standing there silently. From within the room, he could hear his teammates moving around, listening to the bed creak as either Zanthus or Eirian stood up again. Neither of them talked after the conversation. 

He had to go in eventually. Either that or stay outside the door all night. 

Inhaling deeply, Adam finally pushed himself from the wall and walked into the dorm. As soon as he opened that door, all eyes were on him, and  _ no one  _ was happy to see him. While Eirian tried to at least hide her conflicting feelings for him, Zanthus made it perfectly clear from his face alone that Adam was not welcome there.

Round ears flat against his ears and slit pupils somehow narrowing even more, he sat there on his bed right next to Adam’s own. With no shoes, chestplate or his cape, he seemed ready to settle down for the night, holding a needle and his tattered cape in his ungloved hands. 

“You came back.” He pointed out, turning his attention back to sewing up the numerous holes in his cape. “Ruri told us you ran off. Was ready to go and find you in case you got lost.”

“Just needed some time to think.” Adam croaked back, feeling his throat ache terribly. That was one way of putting it. 

Zanthus had nothing else to say about that. Lips pulled into a tight frown, he simply shrugged and went back to what he was doing. It seemed like the rest of the team was following his example as well. 

Laying on top of her bed’s duvet right behind him, Ruri was busy occupying herself with one of her books. When Adam tried to take a peek at the cover, he noticed that it wasn’t like the one she had last night, seemingly interested in a whole new different genre if the creepy book cover had anything to do with it. Still, Adam left her to her own devices. 

That just left Eirian. 

She seemed to be doing what Zanthus asked of her, but that didn’t mean she was doing it well. Adam noticed the numerous glances she shot his way. The way she moved to say something, only to pull back at the last moment. While ignoring Adam unless it was necessary seemed easier for Zanthus and Ruri, Eirian looked like she was dying to go against her friend’s advice.

As Adam sat down on his own bed, ready to go to sleep and forget the day ever happened, her preppy voice piped up again. “Hey, Zanthus. I figured it out.”

“Figured what out?” He asked, pulling his attention away from his cape as he looked up at her.

Bouncing excitedly in place, Eirian gestured openly at something sitting on top of the desk. “Ta-Da!”

Everyone looked in her direction. Right beside her, a statue was sitting on the clean desktop. It was certainly big. Bigger than the propped up books right beside it, it’s short curved beak and wings quickly had Adam realising that it was a bird statue. 

From beside him, he heard Zanthus point out in wonder. “Is that what you’ve been working on while I was packing the rest of your stuff away?”

“Yes. And, thanks for doing that, by the way. It was very nice of you.” She replied gratefully, looking back at the statue with a warm smile. “I thought the room looked a little lonely. So, I made us a friend!”

“A… friend.” Adam’s voice couldn’t even hide the disbelief in it at that point.

“Well, he’s not done yet. I need to finish the details on the talons, and then I have to wait for the clay to dry before I paint him.” She scratched the bridge of her nose before turning to Zanthus. “What’d you think?”

A soft laugh escaping Zanthus’ lips, he had no mocking expression on his face. Rather, it was proud, like a parent when their child showed them their macaroni art for the seventeenth time. “It looks great. But you can do that tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” Eirian replied dejectedly, physically deflating at that too.

“We got our first classes tomorrow. We need as much sleep as we can, especially after all the fighting we had to do today.” Almost on cue, Zanthus yawned loudly at that.

Brandishing fanged teeth, he rubbed his eyes and tossed his cape on top of the bookshelf behind him. “I don’t want anyone too tired to focus. We need to keep our grades up on top of our physical exams.”

Hearing about the lessons seemed to fill Eirian with unnatural energy. In a blink of an eye, she was in her bed, rolled up in her duvet with a grin on her face while Ruri, seemingly noticing that everyone else was getting ready for bed, slipped under her blanket in a more controlled manner. 

“Yeah. I get to use my new pens.” Eirian muttered to herself. 

Quietly, Zanthus and Adam got ready to sleep too. Slipping off his clothes and donning his one pair of pyjamas, a pair that was offered by the Academy themselves, Adam sighed in relief at the feeling of a comfortable mattress and clean sheets. The faint smell of lavender wafted into his nostrils as he buried his face into his pillow.

As well as he could since his curved horns jutted out of his forehead. He didn’t want another torn pillow incident like at the hostel.

Without a word, Zanthus flicked the lamp off sitting on the desk and slunk back to his own bed. The room plunged into darkness, but with three Faunus in the room, it was like the light never went out. Everything was clear to see as Adam stared around from his bed. The street lights from outside shone through the uncovered window. 

Not even five minutes after the lamp was turned off, Eirian’s voice called out in the darkness. “Zanthus?”

“Yeah?” He groaned back.

“Who do you think we’re gonna get for our first class tomorrow?”

“I don’t know.” He sounded tired already. “Go to sleep.”

“Okay. Okay.” She fell silent at that.

Lying there in his bed, Adam kept quiet. Ears strained to listen to the muffled sounds of people who had not yet gone to bed, able to find where they were on that hallway if he listened close enough. 

It wasn’t long before Eirian piped up again. “I hope it’s history. Do you remember Professor Oobleck? The teacher we met yesterday? I liked his hair. You know, some people can’t pull off green, but I once knew this old man in Mistral who-”

“Eirian.” Zanthus interrupted sharply. “Go. To. Sleep.”

“Right. Okay. Going to sleep.” She whispered, muttering to herself. “Close your eyes. Sleep. Okay.”

Thankfully, this muttering didn’t last long. While everyone else slipped into a deep sleep, Adam found himself lying there in his bed, staring at the bodies hidden under the thick duvets. Slowly rising and falling with each breath, he listened to the noises outside, finding them slowly dying as the night moved along and more students went to bed, hoping to get enough rest to deal with the difficult classes that were to come. 

Though he didn’t know when, eventually even Adam himself fell asleep. He somehow avoided the nightmares that haunted him before. Rather, he simply floated in the darkness, finding some comfort in the void. 

It didn’t last long. Suddenly, Adam found himself jolting awake at the sound of footsteps, unable to shake the feeling that he was back at camp. Expecting to see thin tent walls and light from the campfire beaming through the flapping entrance into his tent, he instead saw solid walls and four wooden beds. Relief washed over him as he exhaled quietly. He was still back in the dorms. 

That relief lessened when he turned to the others and found Zanthus nowhere to be seen. 

Glancing around, he thought about getting up and going to find him, only to stop himself quickly. The other teenager probably went to the bathroom. It was no big deal. Besides, Adam was likely the last person Zanthus wanted running after him just because he dared to get out of bed in the middle of the night. 

It was fine. Repeating that to himself mentally, Adam settled back into his bed and closed his eyes again. 

Sleep was harder to come by again, leaving him a fidgeting mess who rolled around in his bed in hopes to get even an hour of deep sleep. Though he didn’t know how long he was trying to get some rest for, Adam couldn’t help but notice that Zanthus hadn’t returned for all that time. It was definitely stretching past a bathroom break. 

Something wasn’t right. Yet Adam didn’t move, deciding to keep an ear out in case Zanthus returned and went back to bed. 

By the time the clock on their wall stuck 6AM, the dorm’s door creaked open. It was deliberately slow. Careful not to wake anyone up, with Adam’s eye cracking open in time to see Zanthus slipping back inside before closing the door behind him. He looked  _ tired. _

His movements slow and sluggish, he practically threw himself on top of his bed and refused to move. For a while, Adam wondered if he would at least slip under his duvet, but the sound of snoring told him that it was very unlikely anymore. Surprisingly, even with Adam staring at Zanthus’ silhouette in the darkness, he felt relieved that it wasn’t anything serious, but questions stuck with him. 

What was Zanthus doing? He made a big deal of Eirian and the others getting enough sleep for school, but with the time he dragged himself back to bed at, he’d only get two or so hours before the day started. Curiosity pulled at Adam. 

But he decided against asking. The conversation between Zanthus and Eirian before was still fresh in his mind, and while a part of him wanted to keep things from blowing up again, another part didn’t want to get involved. Zanthus made it clear that Adam and the others may be a team, but they were by no means friends.

His problems were his own. Adam would have nothing to do with it. 

With that decided, he decided to try and get some more sleep. Tomorrow was another day. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With the story coming to Beacon's lesson, I wanted to quickly say that AZRE's wordbuilding and mechanics are somewhat different to RWBY's. Not a lot since RWBY didn't really bother to flesh out its world, but magic systems like Aura and Semblances are somewhat stremlined in AZRE compared to what they can do in RWBY.
> 
> Also I want to point out AZRE's allusions since some people took a guess at them, and some were right!
> 
> Adam: The Beast  
> Zanthus: The Nemean Lion (Everyone pretty much guess that)  
> Ruri: Namazu (Unfortunately, she's not the Little Mermaid)  
> Eirian: Khnum (Hers was pretty hard to get to be fair if you don't know a little fact about Esna, her last name. It's one of the two main cities to have a temple dedicated to Khnum, and he is thought to create people from clay, hence Eirian's semblance.)


	8. First Day of School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lessons have officially begun. First day at the Academy, Eirian and the rest of Team AZRE start to bond over their future together as a team, all save for Adam. Still, she won't let it bring her down. The day was bright, and she can enjoy her lessons with Beacon's whole array of teachers. Though with Glynda springing up a practical lesson on them, Eirian finds herself facing a choice with a certain red haired leader.

Morning came. 

It wasn’t the alarm clock or the sound of birds tweeting that woke everyone up. It was the loud yells of excitement as Eirian jumped out of her bed. “First day of Beacon Academy for Team AZRE!”

No one else shared her enthusiasm. While Adam and Zanthus groaned from their beds, Ruri was still sound asleep, wrapped up in her duvet like a sushi roll. Spinning around to see her teammate snoozing away, Eirian grinned brightly and, with both hands gripping the duvet, spun Ruri out of the roll.

“Time to wake up!” 

She didn’t know Ruri would spin  _ that much.  _ Poor girl was jolted awake from the sudden movement, eyes snapping open as she stopped herself from faceplanting her bed by throwing her arms forward. Hands pressed into the mattress, Eirian was impressed by Ruri’s quick reflexes, but then that quickly vanished when Ruri kept moving with the motion of the spin and kicked Eirian square in the stomach.

All air left her lungs. Burning pain spread through her chest, she grunted when the solid kick sent her flying across the room, slamming into the wall with enough force to leave a huge stress fracture. For a moment, everything was dark.

And then, over the sound of ringing in her ears, she heard Zanthus shout in shock. “Eirian!”

As her vision came back, she blinked a few times and winced, reaching up to touch the back of her head while Zanthus rushed to her side. Hands checking her for any injuries, she could feel her Aura flicker from the attack. Still intact.

“Ow…” She whined, glancing up at Zanthus with those big eyes of hers. “I think I broke the wall.”

“Can we please go through one day without something happening?” He sighed, at least relieved that Eirian wasn’t seriously hurt.

As he helped her to her feet, she noticed Ruri coming over. All the stoicness and hardness melted away, leaving a very nervous and guilty girl who stood there with her fingers pressed together, looking at Zanthus and Eirian with those purple eyes wide in fear. 

“Don’t worry about it, Ruri!” Eirian quickly comforted her, pressing her hands against her cheeks. “See? Nothing too bad.”

Even with her attempts, Ruri didn’t seem all that comforted by it. Slowly, she passed Eirian, looking at the stress fracture in their dorm wall. When Eirian looked back at it too, she was shocked to see just how strong the attack was. The power behind it was something to behold. Brief flashes to their fight with the Nevermore came across her mind, with the sight of Ruri flying through the skies with compressed air pushing her forward. 

Was that the power of her Semblance? Just how strong was she?

“I have a plan.” Zanthus piped up, moving past Ruri and Eirian. 

Watching him from their spots just in front of the huge crack, neither of the girls said anything as he approached the wardrobe on the opposite side of the room. Without any sign of strain, he picked up the heavy furniture and walked back to the crack with it over his shoulder. 

“We put this here,” he started, dropping the wardrobe down in front of the cracked wall. “And move the desk over there.”

While explaining it, he picked up the desk and dragged it over to the empty space that the wardrobe had once been. Pushing it against the wall, he was careful not to knock over the bird that Eirian had spent hours on. 

“There. Now no one is any the wiser.” He beamed, slapping his hands together before putting them on his hips. 

“Problem solved.” Eirian agreed. 

As she turned to Ruri, she noticed the other girl was still not relieved with the easy fix. Hand holding onto the long sleeve of her pyjamas, she stared down at the floor, all the worry and guilt clear on her face. It was a surprise seeing her that way. Usually, Ruri was so focused and to the point, holding her cards close to her chest in a manner of speaking. 

There, she seemed upset, and Eirian didn’t know who she was upset at. 

“Hey.” Zanthus piped up, already in front of them when Eirian glanced up. 

Placing a hand on her shoulder, Ruri tensed up under the touch, looking up worryingly as he continued. “Don’t worry about it. Everyone has problems with their Semblance from time to time. Don’t beat yourself up over an accident.”

With that, he removed his hand from her shoulder. No longer being touched, Ruri visibly loosened up, nodding silently with her deep frown lessening into a neutral expression. 

Problem sorted and everyone awake, Eirian’s enthusiasm came back ten fold as she jumped in the air. “Come on, we got a whole new day to do!”

“Is there actually a time where you’re not so… energetic?” Zanthus asked, practically deflated with how exhausted he looked. 

Deep bags under his eyes, a gray overtone to his skin, he even lost the usual gold sheen to his hair. He looked like he was ready to go back to bed. Compared to him, Eirian’s bright beams of energy and excitement were almost blinding, and any sluggish feelings were brushed off with the aspect of the first school day.

Grabbing hold of Zanthus’ hands, she tapped him on his cheeks with his own hands while psyching him up. “Cheer up, Zanthus! After breakfast, we’ll have our first lesson ever with Professor Goodwitch!”

“Can you please stop slapp- Did you say breakfast?” The mention of food perked Zanthus’ attention instantly. Round ears once lowered tiredly sprung up, twitching as all signs of tiredness vanished. 

“Well, yeah?” Eirian pointed out, still holding onto Zanthus’ hands as she continued. “We live in Beacon now. They provide food, lodging and facilities to enhance our learning experiences!”

“You read that off the advertisement poster in town, didn’t you?” Adam piped up in the background.

There was the longest pause after that question. Eirian stood there, still holding onto Zanthus’ hands, as she stared over at Adam. While they were trying to hide the giant crack that she and Ruri caused, Adam had gotten himself ready for the school day. Fingers fiddling at the red tie, he already had the black pants, grey socks and off white shirt on, though any thought of helping him vanished from Eirian’s mind when she saw Adam’s unwelcoming gaze on her. 

With a saddened frown, she forced her attention on Zanthus instead, trying to ignore the horrible twisting in her gut when Adam carried on ignoring them. 

Thankfully, Zanthus didn’t seem to notice, or at least didn’t say anything, rather focusing on the fact that Beacon had food. Managing to escape his friend’s grip, he ran back to the wardrobe where the group’s uniforms and clothes were kept. As soon as he opened it, they were nearly attacked by the mountain of clothes that Ruri had shoved inside. 

Eirian could only gasp when Zanthus disappeared under a mountain of clothes. “Zanthus!”

All she heard was muffled words, rushing to the pile as she tossed countless clothes away. “Don’t forget to breathe, Zanthus! Crawl to the light!”

Surprisingly, Ruri was there right by her side, though her moving the clothes were more picking them up, folding them, and putting them to the side, compared to Eirian’s frantic flinging. Finally, she spotted Zanthus’ face in the pile. 

“You alright?” She asked softly.

He didn’t respond immediately. Rather, he sniffed his nose and scratched it, replying in a croaky voice. “I think I’m allergic to the lavender washing powder you use, Ruri.”

While it obviously wasn’t fun for Zanthus, Eirian laughed at the scene before her after the initial shock wore off. Even Ruri was giggling quietly. Eyes closed and a hand in front of her mouth, she seemed so relaxed at that moment. It made Eirian grin wider. For that one moment, everyone seemed so happy together, she finally had friends. 

All that vanished when she heard footsteps pass behind her.

Glancing over her shoulder, she noticed Adam right by the dorm door. Shoes slipping on his feet, he opened the door, only stopping when Eirian couldn’t hold her tongue anymore and called out after him. “Where’re you going?”

“To class.” She never expected him to actually answer.

“Huh?” She replied in confusion, getting up to her feet while Ruri helped Zanthus out of the mountain of clothes he was still stuck in. “We should be going to the Dinner Hall for breakfast. You can’t start the day without a good meal.”

“I’m not hungry.” He muttered back. None of the hate or vitriol was in his tone like before, rather he just sounded tired and distant. Like something else was on his mind.

Before she could try and convince him to at least join them for breakfast, Adam left and closed the door behind him. With him gone, the atmosphere of the room turned tense, Eirian unable to stop staring at the door with a soft frown. Zanthus’ warnings last night still stuck with her. Don’t talk to him, he’s not your friend, and on some level she agreed with him. But that didn’t stop her stomach from dropping every time he rejected her.

She didn’t want Adam to be alone. She knew what loneliness did to a person. 

There was no time to focus on that anymore. With Zanthus finally free, he made a beeline for Eirian and, with a hand on her shoulder, pulled her away from the door with tender words. “Come on. We gotta get dressed before going anywhere.”

He was right. With a final glance at the door, as if she expected Adam to change his mind and come back, she sighed in disappointment and went to get ready for the school day. 

The uniform was certainly comfortable. While Zanthus was dressed in the same uniform as Adam, Eirian and Ruri were given the uniform meant for female students. The same black and gold blazer as the boys, but with a puffy white dress shirt and a checkered skirt. Thankfully, the girls didn’t have to wear a tie. 

Pulling the white socks up to her knees, she looked up at the others, surprised to find Zanthus missing something in his uniform. 

“Are you not wearing the tie?” She asked, leaving her socks alone for a moment. “They’re part of Beacon’s dress code.”

“I, uh… I don’t like things around my neck.” He was nervous. Hand rubbing the tip of his ear, he didn’t even look at Eirian as he confessed further. “Honestly, I’d love to be able to wear my cape with the uniform.”

“I know the feeling.” Eirian grumbled back, brushing a stray dread from in front of her eyes. Without her horned headband, her thick dreads hung down in front of her face, no longer pushed back. 

Holding the tie in his hand, Zanthus stared down at it with a deep frown. He  _ really  _ didn’t like the idea of wearing it. 

“Here,” Eirian piped up, getting up from her bed while her friend glanced over at her. “Lemme help.”

Taking the tie from his hand, she wrapped it under the collar of his shirt and started doing it up, pulling the knot up so that it was hanging loosely at the front. “Is this alright?”

Fiddling with the knot, Zanthus seemed thoughtful. Quietly, he gave the tie a few experimental pulls, before nodding at her. “It’ll do.”

“Great! Now, time for breakfast!” She shouted in excitement. With Zanthus and Ruri both in hand, she practically dragged them out of the dorm room, barely giving them time to slip their school shoes on before they were dragged all the way down the hallway and out of the dorms building. 

Eirian had never seen the Dinner Hall before. When she finally arrived in time for their first meal of the day, she couldn’t help but gawk up at the giant building in front of her. With the same grey and white stonework that was used in all of Beacon’s architecture, giant stained windows that took up entire walls, and huge dark oak doors that were kept open, it was a sight to see.

And once they got inside, the interiors were even more impressive. Rows upon rows of long dining tables that stretched across the entire building, lined with foods that she never even knew  _ existed.  _ There was even a chandelier that hung high above the students’ heads. 

As she and her group took their seats near other first years, Eirian and Zanthus couldn’t help but gawk at all the food that was lined up in front of them. Where do they even start?

“I’m starting to like this place more and more.” Zanthus muttered, salivating as he helped himself to copious amounts of food while Eirian immediately grabbed some fruit from the fruit basket in front of her. 

From across the table, Ruri had some more restraint than her teammates. A plate in front of her, she simply took some of the grilled fish that was still steaming, along with the bowl of rice that was laid out. Looking at her meal, Eirian piped up with a mouth full of tangerines. “How come they serve rice for breakfast? I thought that’d be more like what you eat at 3am when you can’t be bothered to actually make food.”

“People in Mistral eat rice. Given how multicultural Beacon’s capital is, I’m not surprised the Academy copies that for its students.” Zanthus explained, chewing on a whole link of sausages.

“Aren’t you from Mistral, too?” Eirian pointed out.

“Yeah, but I worried about eating at all.” That shocked her, with even Zanthus adding in a more ashamed tone. “My family wasn’t exactly on the, uh…  _ wealthy  _ side.”

His ears fell flat against his head. Even his chewing stopped, with the teenager seemingly guilty for even eating so much food. Shying away from his other teammates, he shrunk in on himself, unable to say anything while Eirian and Ruri stared at him.

Without a second thought, Eirian blurted out. “I get that.”

“Huh?”

“About the wealthy thing. Like, both my parents were Huntsmen, so we didn’t have to worry too much about money. Actually, we had to worry about people not selling to us.” She paused for a moment. “But when my mom… you know. My dad couldn’t be a Huntsman anymore. There was no one left to look after me, so he ended up having to work odd jobs that he could around Menagerie.”

Hearing her admit her own past seemed to lift Zanthus’ spirits up a bit, his ears perking up and his tail swishing about behind him, no longer hidden by his cape. “It made money pretty hard to come by, but there’s no shame in that! It doesn’t make you any less of a person just because your home wasn’t as fancy as others.”

“I didn’t have a home.” Oh.

Eirian didn’t know what to say about that.

Seeing her shocked expression, he was quick to correct any thoughts she had. “It’s not your fault for not knowing. Really, I don’t like thinking about it.”

“Sorry. I just never knew you were homeless.” She admitted.

“Yep. Ever since I was… thirteen, I think.” He seemed thoughtful for a moment. “I guess your life wasn’t as hectic as ours, huh Ruri?” 

The deaf girl seemed surprised when the attention turned to her. Both pairs of eyes on her, she shrugged her shoulders and rubbed at the barely visible gills on her neck. 

“You know her?” Eirian asked, leaning against the table while peeling another tangerine. 

“No, but I know of her family.” Zanthus explained, gesturing to Ruri with a smile. “The Kashima family. They’re pretty big news in Mistral, ever since they created the city of Tsubaki. The city on the water, people call it.”

“ _ You’re  _ from Tsubaki?!” Eirian gasped, her excitement beaming from her as she started vibrating. “I can’t believe it! I read all about the city on the water, the book detailing its creation and short life is one of my favourites!”

Tangerine long forgotten, she continued with a wide grin. “Even after only being around for a few decades, Tsubaki pulled itself out of poverty and near financial ruin thanks to the marriage between its patriarch and the wealthiest family in Mistral outside of the Empress! I can’t believe I get to meet someone from there!”

Ruri seemed stunned by the warm welcome. Eyebrows quirked, she was silent while Eirian continued blathering, unable to stop herself. “I heard so much about the jewel mines that gave the Maneki family their name! Is Shinju Maneki your mother? What’s she like? What’s Hisui Kashima like? I heard his mustache is the longest in Mistral, is that tru-?”

“Eirian, calm down before you pop a blood vessel.” Zanthus ordered, pushing her back down in her seat before handing the half peeled tangerine back to her. “Eat.”

All the time she was chatting away, she completely forgot that Ruri couldn’t actually answer her questions. In fact, most of the fast rambling was completely lost on the girl. 

Thankfully, Zanthus came to her rescue. “I don’t know as much as you do, apparently, but I did hear while in Mistral that Hisui Kashima and Shinju Kashima- not Maneki, Eirian, they’re married- had two daughters. Everyone knows about Seigyoku, the prodigy who went to Haven Academy and is one of the most skilled Huntresses to come from Mistral. But hardly anyone knows anything about the younger daughter.”

Accepting an apple from Eirian, he held it in his hands while staring straight at Ruri. “The younger daughter is you, isn’t it?”

Ruri’s gaze fell to her food. She didn’t seem happy at all, rather frowning deeply while Eirian questioned her. “Wait, why does no one know about you?”

She didn’t answer. Picking at her rice, both Zanthus and Eirian sat there quietly, glancing at each other with worry clear on their faces. Finally, Ruri simply put her bowl down and clasped her hands together, bowing her head slightly before getting up and walking away. 

“Hey, Ruri! Wait!” Tangerine in hand, Eirian rushed after her friend.

Obviously, Ruri didn’t slow down. Back to the other girl, she kept looking ahead even when Eirian caught up to her, following Ruri out of the Dinner Hall and into the warm Spring morning. 

With the sun peeking over the horizon and the skies a mixture of blues and greens, the chilled Valerian breeze was freezing to the touch, chilling Eirian’s hands as she rubbed them together gingerly. She missed Menagerie and its tropical seasons.

“Ruri, wait.” She begged, holding onto the sleeve of Ruri’s blazer and turning her around so she could see Eirian’s face. “I’m sorry. If I upset you, I’m sorry!”

When she finally got a good look at Ruri’s face, she was surprised to see no anger or hatred in those purple eyes. Rather, Ruri seemed downtrodden, playing with one of the strands of blue hair that framed her face. Something was on her mind. Eirian didn’t know what exactly, but she wasn’t going to give up when a friend was feeling down. 

“Was it about what we said about your family?” She asked.

Ruri nodded. “Okay… are you on bad terms with them?”

She didn’t immediately respond like she did before. Rather, her gaze fell to the side for a moment, almost like she didn’t even know the answer. Slowly, she shook her head. “Complicated, huh?”

Another immediate nod. 

“Alright.” She started, messing with one of her dreads that were resting on her shoulders. “If it makes you upset, then we won’t talk about it. Unless, like, you want to or anything.”

That brought a smile to Ruri’s face. Only small, but noticeable anyway. Staring down at Eirian, the smile turned warmer when Eirian added in a bashful tone, her eyes closed in embarrassment. “I’ll take the staring as a thank you!”

“You two sure run away fast.” A voice spoke up. 

Eirian glanced over, with Ruri following her lead, as the two noticed Zanthus walking up to them. A half eaten apple in hand, he took another bite as he asked Ruri softly. “You alright, Ruri?” 

She nodded in response, letting Eirian talk in her favour. “I promised that we don’t talk about her family anymore unless she wants to. It’s pretty complicated.”

“Seems like all of us have complicated issues with our families.” Zanthus pointed out while chewing on the apple. 

Eirian laughed nervously at that. Rubbing the back of her head, she instead ignored the thoughts slipping back into her head and picked herself back up, grabbing hold of Zanthus’ hand as she gasped. “We’re almost late for class! We gotta go!”

“Wait, I haven’t finished my apple!” Zanthus’ protests fell on deaf ears as Eirian dragged him and Ruri away, losing his apple in the process as its half eaten core laid on the ground. 

By the time they had managed to reach Professor Goodwitch’s class, everyone else had taken their seats and were waiting patiently for the lesson to officially start. The silence in the air was thick. No one dared to say anything with Glynda down by her desk, sitting on it with her eyes fixed on the new students in front of her. 

The ticking of the clock on the wall filled the room. With those emerald green eyes on them, some of the less emotionally strong students focused their attention on anything but her. 

That silence was shattered when the door slammed open and Eirian ran in, carrying Zanthus and Ruri on her shoulders. “Sorry I’m late, Professor Goodwitch! I came here as fast as I could!”

“Miss Esna.” Glynda’s stern voice spoke up. “I was expecting you to be one of the first to show up for class. I’m disappointed to be proven wrong.”

All of Eirian’s strength vanished at that. Nearly dropping Zanthus and Ruri before they managed to land on their feet, leaving the deflated girl standing there practically bent in half. “I’m sorry…”

“Either way, your assigned seats are over there. Seems like your team leader got here long before the rest of your team did.” Glynda revealed, gesturing to a row of empty seats in the front row. 

Sure enough, Adam was sitting there silently. Not looking at his teammates, he was instead staring at a notepad in front of him, fingers fiddling with a pen. Eirian thought about going to sit in the row first, taking the spot by Adam, yet she paused, unsure if it was a good idea to do so or not. Thankfully, Ruri took the chance first and scooted across the row of desks until she sat down right next to their leader.

The quick glance he gave her was small, with his one blue eye softening at the sight of the aquatic Faunus. For a moment, Eirian felt a pange of sadness and jealousy hit her, before shaking it off with excuses. She was glad Ruri and Adam were at least amicable to each other. She just wished he was that way to her too. 

Taking the spot next to Ruri, Eirian ended up sandwiched between Ruri and Zanthus, sitting there in quiet excitement as the lesson began. Just as Glynda stood up from the desk and walked along the length of the room while addressing the students, her words were ignored when Eirian realised that her pens weren't on the desk. How could she take notes without them?

Glynda wouldn’t notice if she rummaged through her shoulder bag. Sneakily, she looked down to the floor, realising that in all the excitement of the first day of school, she had forgotten her bag. 

Sadly, she sat back up, listening as Glynda continued. “I will be in charge of the combat training for your time here at Beacon. As first years, what will be expected of you won’t be as much as the older years, but make no mistake.”

She paused to look over at Team AZRE. “I expect results befitting of our Academy.”

Eirian shrunk under her intense gaze. Even without her crop in hand, the way she stood tall, demanding the attention of every student in the school, it was both inspiring and terrifying. 

“Now, we will have a short introduction along with giving you your new scrolls, and then we will immediately head to the training fields for our practical examinations.”

“Um, Professor Goodwitch?” Eirian piped up, raising her hand meekly when Glynda turned her attention to her. “Didn’t we do physical exams when we applied for Beacon in the first place? What is the point of doing them again so soon?”

“The examinations for applications were to see if potential students had the ability to face weak Grimm, and more importantly survive. These ones are simply to record your physical abilities, such as endurance, strength, agility.” Glynda explained. 

All of that so early in the morning had everyone groaning to themselves. Even Zanthus, the most physically capable of their team, groaned to himself as he put his head on the desk gently. 

“Now,” Glynda started, turning around to something that was left on her desk. “These are your scrolls. Atlas  _ gracefully  _ gifted them to Remnant along with the creation of the CCT towers in each of the four kingdoms, so these will be your lifelines. They are your IDs while here at Beacon, will show your Huntsmen Licenses when you graduate, and can be used to communicate with others when needed.”

“Oh, they’re so tiny! Cute!” Eirian blurted out. 

That earned a sigh from the professor, but as she handed one of the scrolls to Eirian and her team, Glynda ended up politely tapping the scroll. Reacting to the touch, the scroll, that was hardly thicker than two of Eirian’s fingers, opened up with a transparent screen glowing brightly. 

Watching with her mouth open in a small o, she was surprised when her name and Student ID flashed across the blue tinted screen. She could barely contain her excitement as she looked over to see Zanthus and Ruri holding their own scrolls too. Both were as happy as she was, if able to contain it better than the fidgeting girl between them. 

For a moment, she glanced over at Adam. He seemed different. Staring down at the scroll in his hands, she couldn’t read what exactly was on his face, but the fact that he didn’t seem pissed or sad was a plus. She hoped.

Hearing other students get up from their seats snapped her attention away. Looking around, she followed after Zanthus as he too got up, shoving his scroll in the pocket of his blazer while Glynda ordered from the classroom doors. “Follow me.”

With her at the front, the droves of students behind her followed quietly. Some whispered to their friends, chatting away all while keeping an eye to make sure Glynda didn’t catch them, but Eirian had never known being quiet. The thrill of getting her scroll, of starting her first day,  _ and  _ showing her moves to Glynda Goodwitch, made her want to hurry up and get to the training fields already.

Beacon felt truly empty during the class times. Everyone either in the lecture halls, the library, or even outside Beacon itself on missions, the hallways and the stone paths outside were bereft of anyone. 

People trudged along. Feet dragging across the chiseled stone, the early morning still hung over them, all except Eirian. She was the only one walking with a hop in her step. Scroll shoved in her pocket for safe keeping, she kept to Zanthus and Ruri’s side, trying to keep them from succumbing to the tiredness and disappointment at having to do anything physical for the first day. 

Soon enough, Glynda’s voice piped up. “This is where you all will change into practical clothes.”

Turning her attention to her, Eirian looked up to see a secluded building built beside a huge fenced off area. Any windows were built high up, blocking any view to inside the changing rooms. With Glynda standing in front of two doors leading into the building, she gestured to them, explaining in that stern voice of hers. “Girls on the left, boys on the right. If I catch anyone trying to sneak a peek at the others-”

A crack of her whip startled them all. “I  _ won’t  _ be impressed.”

The warning hung heavily over them. Nervously, the group of students shuffled past her and into the changing rooms, splitting off into groups of boys and girls. 

With Ruri beside her, Eirian followed the rest of the girls into their designated changing rooms. It looked the same as the locker rooms back in Beacon’s main building. Lockers holding the girls’ clothes lining around, it certainly wasn’t as  _ big  _ as the lockers storage room, barely big enough to hold one class as opposed to the whole school. 

Picking a locker, Eirian was eager to get changed and start the tests already. Shoving her uniform haphazardly in the locker and grabbing a pair of dark green shorts, Eirian couldn’t stop herself from chatting away with Ruri next to her. “You ready for these tests?”

No response. She expected it, carrying on with a chipper tone. “I think you’d do well with agility. That fight with the Nevermore was awesome, like wooooosh, gliding through the air all graceful like that. What’d you think I can do? I reckon endurance, I did practice a lot with running in the desert back home with my dad. What’d you say, Ruri-?”

She stopped when she turned to Ruri. Having shed her own white shirt and holding onto the white T shirt close to her chest, the flushed look on her cheeks was shocking, especially with the blue scales on her face turning purple in colour. 

“What’s wrong?” Eirian asked, noticing that Ruri was staring at something on her person. 

Following her gaze, she glanced down to see that, Ruri was in fact staring at her chest. Her blue sports bra hid away anything, but they were still a considerable size, especially compared to Ruri’s flatter chest. 

With a nervous grin, Eirian rubbed the back of her head “Heh, oops. Didn’t realise I wasn’t fully dressed.”

Clutching her shirt to her chest, Ruri glanced at the other girls around them. While she was still blushing, the way she looked down at herself wasn’t something Eirian would give to someone intentionally perving. 

“Hey.” She started, adopting a softer tone as she pointed at herself with her thumb. “You don’t need to compare yourself to others. I think you’re pretty just as you are!”

The compliment brought a smile to Ruri’s face. Warm and friendly, she nodded in response and slipped her shirt on, dressing herself while Eirian followed suit. 

With everyone dressed and ready to face whatever Glynda had prepared for them, they walked outside to find that some of the boys still weren't ready. Glynda remained outside, not willing to go inside to a room full of half dressed boys, and rather talked to a few of the more extroverted girls that wanted to learn more about what’s ahead of them. 

While Ruri waited patiently, Eirian was fidgeting terribly. She couldn’t wait. It was too boring, and her mind was protesting harshly to being made to wait for others. What was taking them so long?

On a whim, she approached the door leading into the boys’ changing rooms and stuck her upper body through the door. Over the shouts and surprised gasps from the boys inside, she didn’t seem to realise why they were so shocked at her being there, rather looking over at Zanthus and piping up.

“Can you guys hurry up? We’ve been waiting for ag- Ouch!” A harsh whip to the back of her head had Eirian wincing before she was dragged away. 

By the time Glynda had finished chewing the injured Eirian out for peeping on the boys, everyone had come out of the changing rooms fully dressed. Some were blushing madly, unable to meet Eirian’s gaze as they scuttled away like panicked mice, while others grinned and whistled over at her, only to run away when Glynda looked over their way with whip in hand. 

Surprisingly, Zanthus was one of the few not even embarrassed when he reunited with her and Ruri. It wasn’t surprising. He did have a habit of walking around shirtless when he wasn’t wearing a chest plate that could also double as a crop top. 

Finally, Eirian was ecstatic to be allowed into the training fields. Following after the other students, she listened as Glynda stood at the front and explained to them. “These training fields feature numerous natural terrain that you all will be tested against during your years here. As we are only getting an idea of what your current abilities are, the tests won’t be so… extreme.”

“So, what’re we doing here today?” A student piped up from the group. 

“You all will be racing against each other. All your physical abilities will be tested here.” A race? 

Before anyone could question it further, Glynda turned to a blocked path ahead and waved her crop. Logs and rubble that once blocked the way rumbled, surrounded by purple light before slowly moving out of the way. The mere sight of it left the students speechless. Mouths agape, they couldn’t say anything, even after Glynda closed the way and turned back to them.

“Your Semblance is Telekinesis?” Adam finally piped up, arms crossed over his chest.

“That’s so cool!” Eirian gasped. 

“I appreciate the compliment.” Glynda accepted gracefully. Holding her arms over her chest, she changed the subject by bringing the students’ attention back to the cleared path. “The race shall begin now. You all will be monitored and graded on your performance so that they can be used for improvement.”

Moving out of their way, Glynda raised one hand, holding her whip. Everyone tensed up at that. Readying themselves for the signal, silence fell over the entire group. It made Eirian’s gut twist. All she could do was glance over at her friends, finding them focusing on the upcoming race. It was alright. She could do it. She’s worked hard to get there, right?

The pep talk barely helped her nerves.

“Go!” Glynda shouted, lowering her hand in one swift movement. 

Everyone ran. Not waiting even a second after the signal, the entire group ran into the training grounds, leaving Glynda behind as she watched them closely. 

Eirian thought she was fast. But  _ wow,  _ so many students around her were  _ faster.  _

Outpacing her, she found herself quickly left in the dust, unable to keep up when she noticed Ruri right at the front of the group. Moments back in the Emerald Forest came to mind. How Ruri moved so fast that Eirian couldn’t even keep an eye on her, seemingly doing something before she could think. It was comforting back then when they were fighting savage Grimm. 

Now, Eirian couldn’t help but notice the vast gap in skills between them. 

She didn’t want to give up, though. Powering through, she tried to keep up with the slower students, running through the open fields towards cliffs in the distance. Glancing over her shoulder, she noticed Zanthus lumbering far behind her, seemingly struggling to keep up with even the slowest of the group. 

She couldn’t leave him behind. Slowing down, she shot him a smile while piping up. “Need a running partner?”

“You shouldn’t be purposely underperforming.” He panted, ears low on his head. “We’re being graded on this. I don’t want you getting a bad grade because of me.”

“It’s not that bad. First day grades don’t mean as much as helping a friend.” 

The confession had him look over in shock. Running by her side, he simply smiled at that and looked at the approaching cliffs, silently accepting Eirian’s company as they both ran along. By the time they reached the rocky faces, the other students had already begun climbing. 

Even with the thought of being graded on her performance, Eirian pushed that worry down. She focused on getting her and Zanthus up. Fingers grabbing at the rocks, she grunted as she lifted herself off the ground, managing to climb up fairly fast with Zanthus right behind her. Still, she would’ve given  _ anything  _ to have her clay birds at that moment. She never knew she would miss flying so much. 

Much to her surprise, Zanthus proved far better at climbing than running. Before she even realised, he was past her and catching up to the others, only slowing down to let her catch up to him. 

“Stupid mountains. Stupid rock climbing.” She grumbled to herself.

Shoving her foot in a little crevice in the cliff face, she tried to pull herself up with Zanthus right above her, his tail swishing while he looked down at her. “Come on, Eirian. We’re almost there.”

“At least… we get… to go down… on the other side.” She panted, reaching up to grab a rock.

Suddenly, she felt her foot slip. Panic took over. Heart stopping, she reached out for whatever she could grab at that moment. Fingers wrapping around something, she felt her body stop from falling all the way back down, sighing in relief until Zanthus’ pained voice shouted loudly. 

“Eirian!  _ Get off my tail! _ ” 

Eyes wide, she looked at her hand to see that, in her blind panic, she grabbed hold of Zanthus’ tail to stop herself. Letting go of it, she could only blurt out. “Sorry, sorry!”

“It’s alright.” He replied through gritted teeth. “Just please, don’t  _ do that again. _ ”

Nodding solemnly, she followed after him up the rest of the mountain. As soon as they reached the top, Zanthus sighed in relief, rubbing the base of his tail that reached his shorts gingerly. While he looked over the rest of the terrain they would have to get past, Eirian stood behind him, rubbing her upper arm while glancing down at his tail.

She couldn’t help the guilty feeling sitting in her chest. Grabbing onto her braid, she thought about saying something. 

“Hey, is your tail alright?” She asked quietly.

For a moment, she wondered if Zanthus even heard about it, but the way his ears spun around to her even with his back to her, she knew he heard her perfectly fine. It took a few seconds of thinking before he simply responded. “It’ll be fine. You didn’t pop it outta its socket, thank the gods.”

“I didn’t mean to do that.”

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up about it. Accidents happen.” He turned his head to her. That smile, so welcoming and friendly, it made the guilt fade away with Eirian nodding back, her own smile returning brightly.

“Come on.” He started, reaching his hand to her. “Let’s finish this race together.”

Looking down at his hand, Eirian couldn’t help the tight feeling in her chest. The warmth and happiness unable to be described, she simply took his hand and joined his side, her smile turning confident as she replied. “Together.”

Past the mountains, they had to pass through thick forests, deep rivers and reach the finishing line through blocked pathways. At that moment, Eirian was grateful for Zanthus’ strength as he cleared the way. She was by no means weak, but even she had difficulty moving the giant logs or heavy boulders that blocked their ways. 

Bruised, sweaty, and exhausted, the duo saw the finishing line in sight. Other students had already made it. Even Ruri was there, waiting at the finishing line for her friends to join her.

“Hey, look! We’re almost there!” Eirian pointed out. 

Following behind her with a log over his shoulder, Zanthus threw the thing away and wiped his hands together, looking down the path they were following to see the finishing line too. Ears lowered down, and right there she could see how tired he was as he bent over slightly. “Thank the gods. I don’t think I can take another step.”

“I told you to lift with your knees.”

“Shut it.” He grumbled back, rubbing his lower back gingerly. 

Waiting patiently until he hobbled to her side, she helped her friend down the path to rejoin the others. With the end in sight, she could feel the tiredness hit her full on, no longer pushed on by the desire to finish the test and at least get a passable grade. 

With a deep sigh, she piped up. “At least we’ll pass, right?”

Zanthus shot her an amused look. However, before he could reply, a loud yell rang through the forests. “ _ Dammit! _ ”

Immediately, Eirian recognised that voice. Looking behind her, trying to follow the direction of the sound, she gasped in fear. “That’s Adam’s voice. He could be in trouble!”

While she was visibly worried, Zanthus was more subdued. None of that panic in his eyes, nor the worry in his voice, Eirian didn’t let it stop her when she guided him down the path. “Go to the finishing line. I’m gonna go find Adam.”

“No.” He immediately refused. “If you wanna go, then I’ll come with you.”

She didn’t try to reject his help. Honestly, after their talks about Adam last night, she was grateful that Zanthus would put that animosity on hold with Adam seemingly in genuine trouble. So, with a sharp nod of her head, she and Zanthus ran back the way they came, trying to track down their lost leader by his numerous shouts of pain.

Worry turned to fear. What if he was genuinely hurt? There were no Grimm in the training fields, at least none they found, but there were still many natural dangers that could hurt the students. How bad could it potentially be?

Answers were quick to come when they finally came across Adam. It was no Grimm or beast that attacked him. Rather, he was pinned to the ground with one of those heavy logs on top of his leg, keeping it in place while he tried and failed to get himself free. 

“Adam!” Eirian called out without a thought, rushing to kneel by his side while she checked his leg. “Are you alright? Are you hurt?”

“What’re you doing here?” He shot back with gritted teeth, pained by the heavy weight on his limb. 

While Zanthus checked the log out, Eirian kept by the trapped Faunus’ side, pointing out with a worried tone to her voice. “We heard your screams. We wanted to come and make sure you weren't badly hurt!”

“This hasn’t broken my Aura, so I’m fine.” Adam pointed out sharply, though he quickly added in defeat. “But… I can’t get my leg out.”

“It’s pinned you pretty good.” Zanthus revealed.

“Can you lift it up so we can pull him out?” 

Glancing down at Eirian as she asked him that, Zanthus glanced between her and Adam quietly. Without a word, he nodded and bent down to grab an end of the log, waiting until Eirian grabbed hold of Adam under the arms before lifting it up. With some strain, he managed to lift it up enough that Eirian could pull Adam out with ease.

Dragging him away far enough from the log, she let him get up on his own, holding her hands up when she thought he was gonna fall over. 

“Can you walk?”

Testing his leg gingerly, Adam started limping along with a grimace. “Yeah. It didn’t damage anything. But fuck, it hurts.”

“Aura can’t exactly null the pain.” Zanthus added in the background, dropping the log carelessly before joining the others. “Need help getting back?”

“No. I can do it myself.” Well, the niceties were great when they lasted. However, rather than his usual aggressive tone, Adam seemed… distant. No longer biting anyone’s heads off, he seemed to want to be apart from them, keeping to himself as he limped away from the duo.

As Zanthus shook his head with an annoyed sigh, Eirian found herself wondering what exactly changed. He was gone for most of yesterday after their big blow up. Did something happen during that time? 

There was no time to dwell on it. Following back down the path they were previously on, both Zanthus and Eirian finally crossed the line and finished the test with some of the other students welcoming them back. 

Ruri suddenly appeared, smiling when she saw her friends having come out of the terrain race in mostly one piece. Despite the tiredness and aching in her muscles, especially her scars, Eirian couldn’t help but beam with pride at having actually finished the race, smiling brightly until Glynda came towards them. 

“I see the two of you forgoed finishing the race to rescue your team leader.” She revealed, staring down at them from behind her spectacles. “I unfortunately have to tell you both that this will negatively impact your grades.”

Zanthus and Eirian deflated at that. Glancing at each other, they said nothing until Glynda added. “However, I am pleased that you did so. Sometimes, what is right and what you are ordered to do are not the same, and the choice won’t be easy. I believe you two will make the right choices in the future.”

The compliment had lifted the grim feelings in the two. With grins, they celebrated with each other, Eirian grabbing hold of Zanthus’ hands as she bounced up and down in glee. With Ruri watching beside her, none of them noticed Adam sitting off a few feet away, having heard what Glynda had told them.

For a moment, he and Eirian met eyes, and for once, he didn’t glare or look away in disgust. He seemed thoughtful. As he looked away when Glynda congratulated the group of students, sending them away to get changed in time for their next lesson, Eirian wondered what was running through his head at that moment. 

Either way, she had the rest of the day to look forward to. What Adam thought of her would have to wait, but somehow, she knew that the darkness that haunted him would not be so easily dispelled. 


	9. Fallen On Deaf Ears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the physical exam with Glynda and both Eirian and Zanthus saving Adam over their grade, the team find themselves sore and tired. Yet the school day is not over. With history on their final slot for the day, they learn more about the world they live in, and about a rights organisation that Adam just wanted to get away from. With his past haunting him, Eirian finds herself helping her teammate, Ruri, as her deafness starts becoming a problem.

By the time they had gotten to their next lesson, everyone was sore and just wanting lunch to come. Drones of exhausted students trudged into the lecture hall, none paying mind to the professor that was sitting atop their desk, watching the youth settle down with a lazy smirk on their face. The atmosphere was certainly less tense than it was in Professor Goodwitch’s class. 

Sitting down in a free spot next to Ruri, Eirian leaned against her desk, elbows propped up with hands tucked under her chin. She didn’t want to admit it out loud, but the professor in front of them was  _ very  _ attractive. 

Thick, luscious hair hung down to their waist, dark strands shining in the natural light that beamed through the huge windows, the bangs framing their sandy toned face. While they were dressed in smart wear suitable for one working at a prestigious Academy, they had ‘modified’ it to more of their liking. 

Their golden yellow formal jacket hugging their frame with the collar lowered to the point where their collarbones were clearly visible, a constricting dark brown skirt with stockings, and heels of the matching colour. 

They certainly owned their look, and Eirian couldn’t help but stare longer than usual. When she realised that she was not paying attention to what they were saying at all, she quickly shook her head and tried to focus, unable to ignore the warmth spreading through her cheeks. 

As soon as everyone was settled in their seats and the distant sound of a bell rang, the class had officially begun. No longer sitting on their desk, the professor quickly got to introducing themselves.

“Welcome to your introduction to Jurisprudence class.” They started, clasping their hands together with that same smirk on their lips. “I am Professor Cas Melina. I will be your law professor during the four years you all are here at Beacon for.”

Law. Eirian dreaded law. Too many constricting rules, too many literal meanings and loopholes that one could manipulate if they knew, it was too confusing. 

Yet it looked like she was the only one of the team that hated it. While Zanthus seemed indifferent to the lesson ahead, Adam and Ruri were already prepared with notebooks on the desk and pens in their hands. Eirian couldn’t help but focus on her missing pens. She just bought them, too. 

Even with more important things to focus on, she couldn’t help it. Her mind ignored all attempts to listen to the lesson, rather reminding her of other things she had to do that day. Her bird sculpture was a big one. Did she pack the paint in her suitcase? 

There she realised that, even though she heard Professor Melina talking, the words went in one ear and out the other. Before Eirian knew it, a map of Remnant was projected onto the white board behind them and they proceeded with the lecture. “Even though society sees the four kingdoms of Remnant as unified, each one runs under its own government and set of laws. As future Huntsmen, you will need to know each and every one of these laws if you want to stay away from vigilantism.”

With a long pointer stick in their hand, they gestured to the continent of Eastern Sanus. “As you are all under Vale’s jurisdiction as Beacon’s students, we will begin there. Can anyone tell me what form of government Vale operates under?”

Silence. No one made a move to raise their hand, even though Eirian was sure at least one of them knew the answer. 

Ice blue eyes scanned the room, looking over every nervous expression and averted gaze as they looked for that unfortunate student to call upon. Slowly, Eirian slunk further into her chair, her dreads poking out of her cover while Ruri shot her a look. A small quirk of her eyebrow, silently questioning her friend, and that was all the attention she gave the dark skinned teen beside her. 

Out of nowhere, Professor Melina’s voice spoke up. “You there. Miss… Kashima, is it?”

The whole team stared straight at them. Arms crossed over their chest, the professor waited until Ruri was giving them her undivided attention before continuing. “You’ve been paying attention this whole lecture. Mind answering the question?”

Eirian and Zanthus glanced over at the girl beside them, visibly uncomfortable while she sat there silently. With each passing second, the silence grew more and more awkward, thick and heavy as it sat on their shoulders. Everyone was staring at that point. They were waiting, patiently at least, for Ruri to speak up and give the answer already. 

She should say something to help her friend. Focusing on the professor, Eirian inhaled deeply and opened her mouth to speak, only for Adam’s voice to suddenly pipe up. “She can’t speak, Professor.”

“Ah.” They didn’t seem as phased as Eirian expected them. “Forgive me. I completely forgot about Miss Kashima’s requirements. Do you know MSL by any chance, Mr Taurus?”

“No, but I know the answer.”

Ruri sunk further in on herself as Professor Melina replied in amusement. “That so? Please, explain to the rest of the class since they wish to be quiet little mice today.”

Some of the students glowered at the hidden insult. Even Eirian herself felt that pang of annoyance in her gut, pushing it away while focusing on Adam. At the other end of their sitting teammates, he was practically stiff in her seat. Completely upright, he didn’t relax at all as he gave the answer to the law professor’s question.

“The Kingdom of Vale is controlled through a council, led by one party member in charge of whatever party was voted in by the general public.” He paused for a moment. “Though certain sectors of the kingdom are run by leaders completely detached to the main council, such as the Huntsmen Academies and the Valerian Military.”

“Correct. Well done, Mr Taurus.” Adam’s neutral expression softened at the compliment. 

As they turned around to focus on the map again, Eirian turned her attention to her friends. While Adam was pleased with himself, going back to the doodle he was drawing on his notepad, Ruri was anything but. She seemed upset. Not the loud upset that Eirian knew well, where people cried openly and begged for comforting hugs or kind words. It was more subtle.

Eyes downcast to her notepad, Ruri held onto her upper arm, rubbing the scaled skin gently while the professor droned on in the background. It all melded into white noise for Eirian. She couldn’t focus. 

Her friend was upset. Yet she didn’t know what to do or say, and she was not the only one who noticed. Zanthus too saw their teammate shrinking into herself, trying to make herself as small as possible to the class around them, and nudged her gently. As soon as Ruri looked up at him, he flashed her a comforting smile and a soft pat on the shoulder. 

It wasn’t much, but it was all either of her friends could think to do.

As the lesson dragged on, Eirian found herself drifting off into her thoughts. Daydreaming made law classes that bit more bearable. 

White noise droned on in her ears. All she could do was focus on Professor Melina’s face from her seat near the back of the class, leaning more into her hand as she felt that tiredness return with a vengeance. A few peeks around, and she found that she was not the only one in the class barely paying attention. 

Some were either tending their sore and bruised limbs, others were dozing off, she even spotted one having left googly eyes on his eyelids to feign being awake. 

One particular student down in front of her was at least paying attention. Scribbling away, the unknown student paid no attention to the distracted girl behind her. Eirian didn’t stare at her wild hairstyle or the hooped earrings she was still wearing, rather intrigued with the huge, fluffy tail that waved behind. Held upright, its black and white fur looked so soft to the touch. She couldn’t take her eyes off it. 

Without thinking, Eirian reached out for it. Fingertips only brushed against it. Unsurprisingly, it felt like a fur coat that had recently been washed, the plush hair thick and so  _ soft. _

The touch didn’t go unnoticed. The girl that the tail belonged to jolted with the touch, her head snapping behind her with eyes narrowed in annoyance. Caught in the act. Fingers still caressing the soft fur, Eirian could only silently sit there with a stunned expression on her face, noting how angry the Faunus looked. Did she go too far?

Suddenly, Zanthus’ hand grabbed hold of hers, shoving it back in Eirian’s lap while muttering to the stranger in front of them. “Sorry about that.”

She didn’t say anything. Really, she didn’t need to, her heated glare sending the message loud and clear before she turned her attention back to the chattering professor down below. With that awkward confrontation over with, Zanthus turned to Eirian, still holding onto her hand. Just like the other girl, he  _ did not  _ look happy. 

“Don’t go grabbing people’s tails like that.” He scolded, loosening his grip on her. “Didn’t you grow up among Faunus? I thought you’d know not to touch people you don’t even know.”

“It just looked really soft. I didn’t think she would mind.”

That had Zanthus gawking visibly. “Eirian, do you think people just let strangers touch them?”

“My dad always does it.” She pointed out. “No one really complained. I thought everyone did it?”

“Okay… Well, a lot of people don’t like it.  _ Especially  _ Faunus. If you don’t know them, or they tell you not to, just don’t touch them. Don’t pet their ears, don’t mess with their tails, just… keep your hands to yourself, okay?”

Shame rose up from the pit of her stomach. Cheeks flushed red in embarrassment, Eirian glanced away with a hand wrapped around one of her dreads. “Okay.”

The way he explained it made her think. Memories of before coming back, some of people snapping at her not to touch them, others treating her like she was ridden with disease, and then there was Adam. Just before the welcoming ceremony. The way his voice dropped to that cold tone, the familiar feelings of crushing bitterness and shame that weighed on her shoulders when he told her to leave him alone. 

That blue eye darkened with hatred was something she wished she never saw before. Without meaning to, she found herself looking over at him as he worked away.

He didn’t notice any of her fleeting glances. Thankfully. 

For the rest of the lesson, Eirian sat there, drifting deep into her thoughts before the loud sound of a ringing bell snapped her out of it. The sudden, ear-splitting noise bothered not only her, but others around her. Zanthus especially. When she turned to see if her friends were packed up and ready for lunch, she found him putting his large hands over his ears, lowered so much that they were practically hidden in his hair. 

“Before you all run off for lunch,” Melina spoke up as they turned the projector off. “Your first assignment is due two weeks from today. You all are to research an assigned kingdom and write up a defense for hypothetical scenarios. I will email your teams the questions to your scrolls later today.”

Everyone practically groaned at that. Even Zanthus, still covering his ears, grumbled to his team. “Jeez. Professor’s a real hardass to assign work on the first day.”

“Don’t expect an easy time here, Mr Nemeós. We’ve only just begun.” Melina responded slyly from their seat behind their desk. 

They weren't even looking up at the group of students, but by the smirk on their face, Zanthus and Eirian knew they were going to be in for a hard time in Law.

Sharing a nervous look between each other, they said nothing in retort as they scrambled to get out of the class as fast as possible. One of the last teams to leave, they stumbled out of the class together, shortly followed by Ruri with her shoulder bag hanging lazily over her shoulder. She didn’t look as exhausted as the other two did. 

In fact, she seemed more distracted than usual. Eyes staring off into the distance, she didn’t pay any attention as Eirian sighed, stretching her arms up while leaning to the side, trying desperately to loosen up stiff muscles. “Man, I never thought I’d hate a lesson as much as that one. I didn’t get it at all.”

“Did you at least manage to write down what Professor Melina was talking about?”

She paused. Mid stretch, she remained frozen in the spot like a statue, staring up at Zanthus before slowly replying. “Well…. Yes and no.”

“Great. Our last hope is Ruri now.” He groaned, gesturing to the spaced out girl.

She didn’t even seem to notice the hand pointing right at her. Even though she was standing right next to them, Ruri gave nothing to acknowledge her friends, keeping to herself until Zanthus and Eirian finally noticed. Neither said anything at first. The short time they knew her, her being quiet wasn’t out of character for her.

But when she didn’t even acknowledge what she could clearly see, that started to worry them. Slowly, Zanthus approached her, placing a hand on her shoulder while talking softly. “Hey.”

The gentle touch snapped Ruri out of her thoughts. Surprised, she looked up at the taller student, eyebrows raised when he came straight out and asked her. “You feeling alright?”

Even though she nodded in response, it wasn’t a particularly convincing answer. She said yes, but the way her eyes glanced to the side, deep in thought, it wasn’t enough to completely convince her friends. Still, with no way to get her to say what was bothering her, they could do little beyond try and take her mind off whatever it was. 

“I don’t know about you two, but I’m starving. Let’s get some lunch.”

“Oh my Gods, I could eat a horse right now.” Eirian whined loudly, leaning forward dramatically while Zanthus smiled softly at her. 

Before they could make their way to the Dinner Hall, Eirian noticed someone finally coming out of the classroom. Stopping in her tracks, she watched as Adam walked away, never looking at his team once. Where was he going?

She wanted to ask. Taking a step forward, she was held back by a hand grabbing her shoulder. Surprised, she glanced behind her, seeing Zanthus having reached to stop her, keeping her in place while shaking his head. “Let him go. If he wants to eat alone, we can’t make him do otherwise.”

“He skipped breakfast with us, too.” She pointed out, turning to him completely. “Do you think he’s avoiding us as well?”

“I don’t know. Either way, it might be for the best.”

With that, he pulled her away. Even with the conversation last night, even with how much Zanthus’ words made sense, Eirian couldn’t help but sneak a quick glance over her shoulder. Adam was long gone. Nowhere could she spot him in the thin crowds of students that hadn’t already gone to get lunch. She didn’t know why, but it made her sad. 

He wasn’t only avoiding them. The few times he interacted with them, he wasn’t as angry. His remarks were still biting and rude, but there was something there. Something Eirian couldn’t put her finger on. 

By the time they reached the Dinner Hall and got their foot, she was no closer to the answer. 

Staring down at the plate of salad, she messed around with a chunk of seasoned chicken that were scattered among the crisp, green lettuce. Fork prongs stabbed into it, she didn’t feel as hungry as she did before, unable to shake the pestering thoughts that stuck to the back of her mind. 

At least the food was good.

Unlike breakfast that morning, Ruri had taken to sitting next to Eirian while Zanthus sat opposite to them, both too focused on their food to notice the thoughtful girl in their group. Zanthus in particular was packing away the meals set out in front of him. Even the salad wasn’t safe as he munched down on the crisp lettuce and onions. 

“Eirian, you’ve been playing with that piece of chicken for ten minutes.” He finally spoke up through a mouthful of lettuce. “What’s going on?”

“I’m just not that hungry anymore.” She lied. It wasn’t a complete lie, but she did forgo the reason  _ why  _ she wasn’t starving. 

And unfortunately, Zanthus wasn’t so oblivious that he didn’t immediately click to the sore topic. Swallowing, he could only exhale with lowered ears. “You still feel bad about Adam, huh?”

“I don’t know if it’s bad.” She confessed, finally leaving her toyed piece of chicken. “I can’t explain it. But his whole aura is different about him, like it’s not… super angry.”

“His… aura?”

“Not like his actual Aura. Like his whole energy.” That just got her even more confused stares. “Like, you know how everyone has that kinda energy about them? Energy that some people can tell? My dad always talks about them, he’s very spiritual like that.”

“Eirian, you know I love you, but I have no idea what you’re going on about.” Zanthus confessed.

Frustrated, she leaned further back on the bench she was sitting on, letting out a high pitched noise before moving on. “Okay, it doesn’t matter. What I’m trying to say is I think Adam heard us last night.”

“Oh, he was.” Eirian blanked at that.

With her staring straight at him, Zanthus confessed with a deep sigh. “I heard him in the hallway while we were talking.”

His round ears wiggled as if to emphasise the point. Eirian could only splutter in response. “Well, you coulda let me know!”

“Sorry. Honestly, does it really matter if he heard us or not? He knows what we think of him, and now he’s probably keeping his distance like we wanted.” Even with the blunt way he said it, Zanthus didn’t seem as pleased as Eirian thought. “It sucks. I know it does, but I’m not changing my mind just because he’s sad about it.”

“Do you think he’ll change?” The question left her mouth before Eirian could even stop it. 

Unable to take it back, she could only sit there as Zanthus’ expression softened. Slit pupils dropped to the food on his plate, the hand holding the fork resting beside it. When he finally replied, his voice was quiet, and any animosity that he felt vanished. “I hope so.”

The topic of their missing leader was dropped there. Even with some of her problems lifted from her shoulders, Eirian still couldn’t stop her mind from drifting. Every second, she turned to the giant doors, half expecting Adam to finally walk in and at least join them before lunch ended. But he never did. 

While she ate her salad, something in the corner of her eye caught the girl’s attention. Shifting her gaze over, she sat there silently as Ruri pulled something out of her bag, putting it on the table for the others to see clearly. Surprised, Eirian piped up. “Where’d you get tubs from?”

“You call them tubs?” Zanthus shot back in an amused tone.

“What’d you call them?”

“Tupperware. Duh.”

Pouting at his teasing, she turned her attention back to Ruri, who was packing some food in the tub. “Hey, Ruri?”

A small nudge from Zanthus caught the deaf girl’s attention, eyes looking up at Eirian as the latter pointing at the tupperware container. “Any chance you have more of those?”

Even though she didn’t reply, the way her eyebrow quirked in curiosity said more than enough about what she was thinking. Silently, she nodded, leaning back down to rummage through her back while Eirian waited. Bouncing in her seat, she couldn’t help but grin when Ruri pulled out another one of her containers. It was certainly smaller than the other, but that didn’t matter for what Eirian had in mind.

“Perfect! Mind if I borrow it?” She asked with stretched out hands. 

While she was eager, Ruri was not. Hands holding onto the tub tightly, she gave Eirian a look that she couldn’t exactly make out, clearly thinking deeply about whether to give it or not. Thankfully, she didn’t think about it for long and, for a faint nod, she passed the container over to Eirian. 

Accepting it with a widened grin, she bowed her head multiple times. “Thanks!”

“What’re you even planning with that?” Zanthus asked, finishing up his meal while Eirian busied herself.

Shoving in the salad and whatever she could get her hands on, Eirian didn’t think twice on her answer before blurting it out. “I might get hungry later! Don’t wanna sit there in class with an empty stomach, I won’t be able to concentrate.”

“Can’t argue with that.”

Zanthus bought it. Chin resting lazily on the palm of his free hand, he sat there and watched as Eirian jammed as much food as she could into the small tub, only sparing a questioning look with Ruri before quietly watching some more. Neither of them said anything about the impossible amount she managed to fit inside.

She couldn’t even close the lid properly. Bulging as she clipped it on, she picked it up carefully, trying not to jostle it too much, and got up from the bench. With a nervous grin, she turned back to her friends as she excused herself. “I’m gonna go for a quick walk before our next lessons. Can’t sit behind a desk for too long, otherwise I start getting agitated.”

“Alright. Just don’t be late.” Zanthus seemed fine with the excuse she gave.

Nodding quickly, she tried her best not to take off like a bullet, walking at what could be a reasonable pace until she left the Dinner Hall. As soon as she was outside, she quickly ran off in hopes of finding the person she was looking for.

It certainly was difficult. Beacon was a big place, and without even a clue to where her target was, Eirian ended up wandering around aimlessly. A few times she would stop and ask other students, but even they were unsure where the person she was looking for was. Shakes of their head or shrugs of their shoulders, every answer she got back was the same, and time was running out. 

Finally, she spotted someone familiar. That same wild hair, hoop earrings, and bushy tail that swayed gently behind her. It was the girl from Jurisprudence.

“Excuse me! Excuse me!” Eirian shouted after her, running as fast as she could with the tupperware tub tucked under her arm.

Whatever the girl was doing, she immediately stopped when she heard the voice calling after her. Glancing over her shoulder, her expression hardened when she saw Eirian running up to her, arms crossed over her chest while she stood there silently. 

As soon as Eirian came to a stop in front of her, the student snapped harshly. “What’d you want?”

“I, phew… gimme a minute.” Eirian panted, nearly bent over in exhaustion. Slowly, she managed to regain her breath, straightening up with a nervous smile. “I’m looking for my friend. This big, has horns, really mad all the time.”

The student looked her up and down. Scowl still on her face, Eirian was half expecting the girl to tell her to get lost, but thankfully that worry was put to rest when she finally replied. “Bright red hair? Has a bandage over his face?”

Why didn’t she start with the bandage? It was certainly the most striking part of Adam along with his horns, but that wasn’t the point she should focus on. 

Nodding, she stood there anxiously while the student pointed down a path that led towards the training fields they were in that morning. “I saw him going down there just before. Didn’t look like he was in the mood to be around anyone, though.”

“Right. Thanks!” Eirian replied gratefully, trying to hide the nervousness that spread at the mention of Adam’s foul mood.

Knowing where she was going, she made a move to walk down the path pointed out to her. Yet, she paused, thinking deeply about something as she turned her upper body around. “Hey…”

The student looked over at her. “I’m sorry. You know, for grabbing your tail. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“You didn’t upset me. You pissed me off.” The student shot back. “It doesn’t make us friends, but thanks for apologising.”

With that, she dropped the conversation and turned back to her friends. 

Eirian left it at that. While the harsh way the girl replied in made her flinch, it was better than it could’ve been. That in mind, she left the student and her friends alone, walking down the path that Adam had gone down. Carefully, she moved the tupperware container from under her armpit, instead holding it with both hands like it was incredibly fragile. 

The closer she got, the more nervous she got. She knew that Adam would be less than thrilled to see her. Biting words dug into her, what he said to her the other day still clinging to the back of her mind, unable to be shaken off.

Still, her feet kept moving. Even if she was scared of what was waiting for her at the end of the walk. 

Finally, she spotted him. There on a bench, completely alone, Adam was going over something in the red leatherback notepad he owned. As she neared, she could spot a pencil tucked behind his ear. Whatever was written in that notepad, it was something that required all of Adam’s attention, since he didn’t notice the approaching girl until she was practically in front of him. 

“Hey, Adam.” She was the first to speak. 

That twisting anxiety worsened when his eye looked up at her. It suddenly dawned on her what she was doing, the smile on her face becoming more strained and nervous while she waited for him to reply.

He didn’t. Instead, he looked back down at his notepad, seemingly ignoring Eirian as she swayed on her feet. “You missed breakfast this morning. There’s some food here for you.”

“I don’t want your pity.” He immediately got on the defensive.

“It’s not from me.” The lie was quick. Eirian didn’t even know what she was saying until it was already said, and with Adam glancing up at her again, this time more curious, she had to roll with it. “Ruri packed it for you. I said I’d go and take it to you so she could finish her lunch.”

Holding it out, she waited there with bated breath. For a moment, it looked like Adam was still going to reject it, sending Eirian away with more snapping words and glares, but he didn’t. Rather, he slowly reached out for it. 

As soon as she passed it over, he opened it with a loud  _ pop _ , staring at the contents inside with a raised eyebrow. “Salad?”

“Is it wrong? I- Ruri thought you’d like it.” 

“It’s fine. I like salad.” He picked the metal fork up and messed around with a slice of tomato, flicking it to the edge of the tub with disdain. “Would rather have it without these water balloons.”

“You don’t like tomatoes?”

“No. Too watery, and it feels like I’m chewing on rubber.” He muttered back, chewing on a piece of chicken with the notepad balanced on his knees. “Everything else is fine.”

Relief washed over Eirian as her tense shoulders loosened up. It didn’t go unnoticed, Adam staring up at her with that piercing stare. He looked like he wanted to say something. Whatever it was, he kept it close to his chest, munching away on his meal while his teammate stood there. Soon enough, it was starting to feel awkward.

The swaying came back with a vengeance. Rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet, she crossed her arms behind her back and piped up. “Sooooo… whatcha got there?”

“Notes from Law.”

“Perfect! We can use them for our assignment together!” The sharp look he gave her squashed any enthusiasm in her. 

Lowering the fork from his face, he was quick to snap at her. “Where’re your notes?”

“My notes? Right, notes. Notes from Law class. Those notes…” She paused, glancing away as she confessed in a quieter tone. “I didn’t write any.”

“Typical. I should leave you to get the information yourself…” She flinched at his scolding. However, as soon as his anger flared up, it ebbed away to annoyance. “But I don’t wanna fail. You can use mine if you need.”

“Wow, that’s really nice.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“No, really, I app-”

“ _ Ever. _ ” She shut up at that. His tone was serious, and with the hardened expression on his face, she knew he wasn’t messing around. 

Letting it go, she glanced to the side for a moment. It was completely silent save for the gentle breeze that blew through the cliffside school. Trees swaying, she watched the green leaves and budding flowers up above, pulling her attention away from them while muttering. “Well… I should really get back. Finish up before next lesson starts.”

As she turned around to leave Adam in peace, his voice made her freeze. “Wait.”

Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. What could he want more of her? Was he going to snap at her some more? 

When she looked back over at him, any thought she had that he would be like vanished. There was no animosity. By no means was he soft, not like how Zanthus or Ruri were with her, but he was no longer stiff and aggressive. His one clear eye staring down at his food, he made no attempt to keep eating even when Eirian gave him her full attention.

“Why?”

That was it. One word, and Eirian could only stand there and blink in confusion. “Why what?”

“Why’d you help me this morning? When I was stuck under that log, you came back even though it hurt your grade. I heard what Professor Goodwitch told you and Zanthus.” He paused. “I’d get it if it was Ruri or Zanthus in trouble. I’m not your friend, I don’t like you… so why?”

She stood there dumbfounded by his confession. Not even daring to move from her spot, she thought carefully about her answer, lips pursed while her rocking stopped. 

“I guess it’s because you looked like you needed it.”

“So it was pity.” He frowned deeply at that.

“No. Adam, I don’t pity you.” She quickly replied in a defensive tone. “I came to Beacon to be a Huntress. Someone who protected everyone, even if they don’t like you. I can’t earn my license knowing that I left someone who was hurt just because they didn’t like me.”

He looked like he didn’t get it at all. Eyebrows furrowed, he finally met Eirian’s gaze as he spoke. “Would you still think that if you knew what they did?”

“I… What’re you trying to say?”

He didn’t reply immediately. Looking away, he went back to messing with his food, quickly dropping the subject bitterly. “Forget it. Thank Ruri for the meal.”

“Adam-”

“Just leave me alone.” The demand lacked any bite to it like before. 

Still, she knew better than to push him any further. Hand clenched into a fist, she rested it on her chest, only able to stare down at him sadly before doing what she was told. Without a word, she turned around and walked away.

It was difficult. But she had to, not even letting herself look back at Adam as she left. All the time she walked back to the Dinner Hall, their conversation weighed heavily on her. Yet she didn’t understand. It felt like he was talking from experience, his question echoing in the back of her mind. Did he do something? It felt like whatever he meant, it pulled him down into negativity, and she couldn’t help but worry for him. 

Even when the school bell rang and the next lessons commenced, she couldn’t shake the questions away. There was no way she could go and ask. Adam had already made it clear he wasn’t going to willingly answer her questions, and any attempt would just bring unwanted vitriol her way. 

For now, she had to keep quiet. When Adam was ready, he could come to her, but she would have to be patient. The one thing she was terrible at.

Eventually, the last lesson of their first day came. World of Remnant.

It was the one class that she was waiting for with uncontrollable excitement. History was always one of her favourite subjects, ever since she was a child, she’d listen to her father tell her about the history of the kingdoms and their lands. The lessons she were given in her youth, ones were she would sit in her living room and listen as her father taught her all he knew, were some of the happiest memories she had. 

That happiness remained with her as they settled down for the lesson. The lecture hall was the same as all the others, with desks circling around a small area down below, with only a desk and a giant whiteboard behind it. 

The afternoon sun shone through the windows. Bathing everything in the room a warm orange glow, she could feel the warmth on the bare skin of her hands. It was nowhere as hot as Menagerie. But it was still a welcome change to the chilled mornings, especially with Eirian’s uniform keeping her warm. 

Plus it was cute. That was always a plus with her clothes. 

As she watched her dark skin flow under the sunlight, she listened as her professor introduced the class to their new lesson. 

Professor Bartholomew Oobleck. If there was anyone who could match Eirian in speed, art of blabbering, and sheer enthusiasm for history, it was him. 

With his white smart shirt and flashy yellow tie, he sped through the class with such speed that he was only a blur. Whenever he stopped to point at something on the white board, littered with numerous pictures of different places in Remnant, he took a sip from his ivory white mug. Smelt like coffee. 

Wild green hair waving around as he stopped, he looked across the entire class through his thick circular glasses. “And after the end of the Great War eighty years ago, the kingdom of Atlas was forced to give up control of many colonies they had established, including their most prized one of Menagerie.”

He took another sip from his mug. “So, can anyone explain the early years of Menagerie as an independent nation?”

That perked Eirian’s attention. Immediately, her hand shot up, waving around as Oobleck looked around. There was no way he missed her. Every time he shifted his gaze to another part of the classroom, she quickly followed it, dashing around the room with her voice straining even more. “Professor Oobleck, pick me! Please, Professor, I know the answer!”

“I can see that you’re eager to answer  _ another  _ question, Miss Esna.” He retorted, green eyes peering over his glasses. “But wouldn’t it be beneficial if someone else in the class had a chance to answer?”

He had a point. Gingerly, she lowered her hand, only realising where she was when Oobleck added. “And please, get down from Mr Nemeós’ shoulders.”

Sure enough, when she looked down, she found Zanthus’ head between her thighs. He looked unfazed by it. Slowly, she got down, settling down beside him while laughing nervously. “Sorry, Zanthus.”

“Ain’t a problem.” He shrugged.

Both turning back to their professor, they listened as he tried to get the others to speak up. “Anyone else?”

Silence. Either they didn’t know the answer, or they genuinely didn’t want to answer. Even with Oobleck trying to coax  _ someone  _ to speak up, he found it impossible, only able to turn to the vibrating Eirian with a sigh. “Miss Esna. I believe you have the answer?”

With a wide grin, she stood up from her seat and answered immediately. “The kingdom of Menagerie is seen as the unofficial fifth kingdom, even though it’s legitimacy is often contested among the other four kingdoms.”

She couldn’t help the excitement from seeping into her words. “Right after its freedom from Atlesian occupation, the Faunus that were brought to the continent were left behind and banded together to form the capital of Menagerie; Asilé. In the following years, Faunus came to Menagerie from every kingdom, and more villages were built along the outskirts to accommodate them.”

“Correct!” Oobleck praised. “I expected as much from a citizen of Menagerie. May I ask what city you’re from?”

“Vikela, sir.”

“Ah, the village built in the Tikoloshe Desert.” Turning back to his map, Oobleck continued. “Home to Faunus that hailed from Vacuo. Their natural hardiness from living in harsh conditions proved advantageous for the dangerous Menagerie deserts, as this is the only village not forced on the habitable area on Menagerie’s coasts.”

Slowly, Eirian sat back down, listening intently as Oobleck carried on his lecture. While she was bored and had a habit of switching off in the other lessons, she felt completely engaged in his class, being the perfect student with notes scribbled in her notepad.

As she peeked over at her friends, she quickly found Zanthus not bothering with notes, even though he seemed to be listening just fine. It was so unlike Adam, who was sitting next to him. The red head was once again in his notepad, taking down all he could while Oobleck sped through their lesson. 

Leaving them to it, she turned her head to check on Ruri, who was sitting on her other side. She wasn’t faring so well. 

Her notepad was empty. Sitting there, she seemed so confused, her eyebrows furrowed together in frustration while any complaints she had were left unsaid. Worried, Eirian wanted to ask her what was bothering her, following her gaze down to the empty area down below. Oobleck was still rushing about, periodically taking sips of his coffee, all while his mouth moved impossibly fast with any words coming out in fast sentences.

There, she realised the problem. 

Without a second thought, she raised her hand high. “Professor Oobleck?”

“Doctor.” He corrected. “What is it?”

“Um, is it possible for you to slow down?” 

“Ah, is there something confusing you, Miss Esna?” 

“No, no.” She lowered her hand, gesturing to Ruri beside her. “My friend can’t understand you if you speak too fast.”

With everyone turning their attention to Ruri, she seemed to shrink further in her chair, not wanting to meet anyone’s gaze while a finger wrapped around one of her long bangs. Oobleck looked between them a few times, his lips pulled into a straight line.

“Why, of course.” He finally replied, turning to address Ruri personally. “Forgive me, my dear. I hadn’t realised I was being so accommodating. Not many deaf students come to Beacon. Still, it’s no excuse. I will be more considerate in the future.”

She nodded in response. The little misunderstanding cleared up, he continued with the lesson, taking into consideration the speed of his sentences. 

While she seemed more relaxed after Eirian brought the problem up, Ruri was still flushed with embarrassment, her scales purple while the rest of her pale skin a deep red. Her finger was no longer messing with her hair. Instead, she had it fiddling with the red bow that hung from her neck, scribbling down while watching the professor carefully. 

As time passed by, everyone apart from Eirian seemingly deflated, leaning against their desks with exhaustion weighing over them. Zanthus was nearly fast asleep on the desk before Oobleck addressed the students directly. 

“Though the Faunus Rights Revolution was kickstarted in Mantle thirty years ago, its effects spread across the whole world. The fighting cost lives on both sides, and in the ashes, the Faunus rose with the White Fang leading their campaign for equality.” With his free hand, he gestured to a flag pinned up on the board.

Eirian knew that flag well. Once a field of deep blue adorned with a white wolf’s head, it had long since changed. Blue changed to black, and what was once a peaceful creature symbolising the organisation’s peaceful goals, a scarlet red head replaced it, teeth bared and claw marks behind it. 

That flag was something she deeply hated. Frowning deeply, she listened as Oobleck carried on. “Although they have earned their legal rights, society doesn’t change so easily. Would anyone here like to explain how the White Fang developed over the decades it has been around?”

Looking around, Eirian watched him completely ignore her, even with her hand raised high. With a pout, she slumped down in her chair, arms crossed over her chest as the professor pointed out one student in particular.

“Do you know, Mr Taurus?”

Adam said nothing as the attention was brought to him. Sitting there in silence, he seemed uncomfortable with the question, stiffening up when he replied. “I know… some.”

“Excellent! If you wish to share with your peers?”

Sighing deeply, he stood up from his chair. All eyes stared at him, unmoving, and for once, Eirian saw the extreme discomfort in his face. He couldn’t hide it completely. 

“The White Fang was created a year after the Faunus Rights Revolution ended. Ghira Belladonna, the Chieftain of Menagerie, led the organisation at first. Originally, they wanted equality through peaceful means.” He swallowed painfully. “It didn’t work. Well, it sorta did, but many Faunus felt that it wasn’t happening fast enough. Eventually, Ghira stepped down as High Leader, and Sienna Khan took over, with very different… methods.”

Oobleck stood there quietly. Honestly, it was the first time all lesson that Eirian saw him stunned, feeling that surprise too as they watched Adam bitterly explain. “The White Fang took more direct action. They wanted the humans and the world to know that they demand respect, and so the organisation moved to different ways of making their voices heard.”

“Yeah, like terrorism and murder.” One of the students piped up angrily.

That was it. Adam’s fists clenched together, and Eirian could only sit there nervously as he turned to the student with hate filled eyes. “What the White Fang did wasn’t completely right, but you can’t blame them for doing it.”

“Why? ‘Cause a buncha animals got upset?” 

“Shut up!” His temper boiled over. Right there, Adam was one more bad word away from physically fighting the racist student. 

Thankfully, any chance of a fight was stopped when Oobleck immediately jumped in. “That’s quite enough, gentlemen! Both of you will stay behind after class for a quiet discussion.”

Adam’s head snapped back at the professor. Lips pulled back in a snarl, he was ready to keep fighting, eager almost, but any attempt ceased when Zanthus grabbed hold of his hand and pulled him back down into his seat. 

With a silent glare, Adam didn’t attempt to start another argument. Rather, he sat there and stewed in his rage, keeping to himself while Oobleck moved the topic away from the brief blow up. “Yes, the Faunus have every right to be angry after their oppression under the humans, but that does not mean the White Fang can hurt and destroy lives to make their voices heard. Such violent revolutions have never worked out in the past. In fact, they have only sullied the public’s opinions of said groups.”

“That’s easy to say from a human.” Adam piped up.

“I admit that my heritage prevents me from seeing things from the perspective of those directly hurt.” Oobleck admitted. “I can only form my opinion on those around me, and from history itself has to say. It is always best to learn from the actions of your ancestors, class, as they will stop you from repeating them.”

With that, the rest of the lesson drifted by. After the brief blow up with the other student, Adam kept to himself, even ignoring Zanthus’ quiet words when the feline Faunus checked up on him. After a few attempts, they simply left him be. 

Eventually, the last bell of their lessons rang. 

Everyone practically jumped from their seats, eager to spend their free time relaxing after the stressful day. While it was technically self study before dinner, the students were free to study wherever they wished, and most would rather do it in the comfort of their own dorm rooms than the lecture halls. 

Following Ruri out of the classroom, Eirian spared a glance over her shoulder, watching as Adam and that student from before stood in front of Oobleck’s desk. She couldn’t hear what he was saying. She tried, but with the door closing on her, she was left standing there in the hallway with Zanthus and Ruri.

“Don’t worry about it. Doctor Oobleck will sort it out.” Zanthus comforted, guiding her away from the dark oak doors. 

“I don’t know. When he was talking about the White Fang, he seemed really… sad? Did you feel it, too?”

With a thoughtful look, Zanthus rubbed the back of his neck gingerly. “I don’t know… A lot of things get Adam riled up, I wouldn’t think about it too much.”

That didn’t help at all. Sighing in defeat, she let him pull her away from the door, following after him and Ruri as they walked down the corridor. 

There had to be something she could focus on instead. Brain itching for a distraction, she glanced over at Ruri, watching the taller girl walking with her back to her, paying attention to Zanthus while he complained about how tired he was. 

Something clicked.

“Hey.” She started, rushing into the space between the two other members of her team. “I’m planning on going to the library to study. You wanna be my study buddy, Ruri?”

The offer stunned the other girl. Hands politely folded in front of her, she simply nodded with a faint smile. 

“Great! What about you, Zanthus?” Eirian asked, turning her head to look up at the teenage boy.

He was not so thrilled. Nervous, he glanced away as he quickly decline. “Nah. I’m not a huge fan of libraries. I think I’ll get some study time back at the dorm.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. It’ll be less crowded, too.” He brushed off. “You guys go on ahead. I’m gonna take a little walk before I head back.”

“Oh… Alright, if you want.” Eirian replied, waving him off as he walked away from them.

With just her and Ruri, they wandered around for a while. The conversation wasn’t exactly thrilling, but that was okay. Eirian didn’t mind.

Despite being deaf, Ruri turned out to be a good listener. 

Eventually, they found their way to Beacon’s library. It looked like any other library that you would find in the city. Spacious with countless bookshelves lined together, creating neverending aisles that one could get lost in for hours. Dark oak offset by the cream walls and dark carpets, the entire space was designed for perfect studying, not too distracting and not too boring. 

Passing the computers that already had students typing away on, Eirian picked a desk someway away from the commotion and foot traffic. Surrounded by tall bookshelves lined with so many books, she turned to find Ruri already perusing the endless hardbacks and novels that they had lined up neatly. It was nice seeing her so relaxed after the stressful day in lessons. 

With her distracted, Eirian slipped away for a moment. There was one thing in mind that she had to try and find. 

Even with the elaborate sorting system for Beacon’s books, it was still insanely difficult navigating through the maze of desks and towering bookcases. Where was it? It had to be here somewhere.

Sure enough, after what felt like hours of searching, she spotted the ones she was looking for. Perfect. At least, it would’ve been if there weren't  _ so many  _ to choose from. Standing there dumbfounded, she could only stare at the books’ labels, racking her brain to try and remember which one she needed. Mistral. Ruri was from Mistral, so she needed…

That one. Plucking the necessary book from the case, she held it close to her chest and rushed back to where she had left her friend.

When she finally found the desk again, Ruri was already buried in one of the books that she had scattered across the entire desk. With a quick glance over them all, there was something in common that Eirian noticed. All romance novels. 

“A romantic, aren’t ya?” She joked.

Ruri didn’t notice. She still had her face in the book she was currently holding, too entrenched in whatever was happening to even realise that Eirian had been gone. 

Pouting, Eirian took the empty seat opposite to her teammate and dropped the book down loudly. It wasn’t the sound that startled Ruri. Rather, it was the loud vibrations that travelled through the varnished wood, moving up her arms as the teenage girl practically jumped out of her chair.

With her glaring, Eirian laughed awkwardly and raised her hands. “Sorry.”

That seemed to have appeased Ruri. Eyes softening with the apology, she instead looked down at the book, curious to what her friend had picked out. It wasn’t long before she realised exactly what it was and looked back up at Eirian with a shocked expression.

“I’m not much of a language expert.” She started, holding the book up. “But I can try to learn! Mind helping me?”

A sign language book. It was specifically for Mistrilian Sign Language, especially since Eirian needed it to mostly speak to Ruri.

She knew it was a kind gesture, but she didn’t expect it to move Ruri to the point of tears. Shocked, Eirian dropped the book and quickly asked in a panicked voice. “W-Wait, did I do something wrong again?!”

She shook her head, cupping her face with both hands while tears streamed down her face. Confused, Eirian could only sit there with mouth agape, trying to think of the right words to say until Ruri scribbled down something in her notepad.

As she passed it over, Eirian read it carefully. 

_ No one bothered to learn. You’re the first one. _

“No one wanted to learn? Don’t your parents know, or your sister?” She asked with widened eyes. 

Ruri wrote down her response. It became a thing of Ruri writing down what she was feeling before passing it to Eirian, who could only feel more and more shocked as things became so much more clearer.

_ They didn’t want to think about it. They never taught Seigyoku. I learned it by myself. _

“But why? Don’t they wanna talk to you?” She couldn’t wrap her head around it. “I thought they loved you.”

Ruri was still for a moment. Grip on her pen tightened, and when she wrote down her response, it was with angry strikes of the pen. 

_ They love me for who I am, but not for what I am. They don’t like thinking about their daughter being deaf. It makes them worried, and then they don’t let me live. _

“Don’t let you live? What’d you mean by that?”

Ruri’s response was quick, but no less angry.

_ I was never allowed out of my home. We lived on the island that Tsubaki was built around, and I stayed there for most of my life. They didn’t want me hurt. They thought I wasn’t strong like Seigyoku.  _

“But you made it to Beacon, you’re the strongest of our team!”

Her compliment set Ruri back. Eyes wide for a moment, she couldn’t stop the sadness from washing over as she carried on writing.

_ I’m not perfect. I need to be perfect so they can let me be a Huntress. _

“Ruri… You might not be perfect, but I think you’re the best you can be.”

For a moment, Ruri didn’t write anything down. Eirian thought the compliment would make her smile, just like it did before, but rather than smiles and bright eyes, Ruri seemed defeated and the way she wrote reflected it perfectly.

_ It’s not good enough.  _

She didn’t know what to say. The expectations weighing on Ruri were monumental, and Eirian didn’t know how that felt. All she could think was her father and mother supporting her. No matter what she did, no matter how many mistakes she made, they were there to guide her back on the right path.

She’d be that for Ruri if her parents wouldn’t.

Determined, she raised the book again and smiled. “Well, we can always learn. Wanna teach me?”

That smile returned. Small, but so bright, and with Ruri moving to sit next to Eirian, the two remained in that library for hours, learning and laughing.

And most importantly, supporting each other. 


	10. Shared Pasts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Espionage & Security. A lesson that Adam had experience in outside the academic environment, he finds Professor Tabi a woman of fiery passion and enthusiasm. With her lesson underway and Adam paired up with Ruri, he finds that she's more skilled than she let on. Other students prove just as dangerous, and with Adam running in to one particular student, the past is hinted, and he finds that others around him understand his pain more than he thought.

A month. A whole month had passed since Adam came to Beacon. 

It was hard to settle in. Not only with a permanent home, but with a team as well. He was used to working with people, there were always familiar faces in the White Fang, but they often came and went. The missions cost lives, or destroyed what faith some members had in the organisation. All his years there, Adam could only recall a few faces. Kaanchana, Iya, Banesaw, his mother and Ghira, Ilia.

Blake.

He’d be lying if he said his search was still going strong. With lessons, assignments, even training sessions, they all took away what little time he had. It didn’t help when  _ someone  _ on his team had a habit of letting her mind run away from her. 

Eirian was a trier. The problem was that her energy was often focused on the  _ wrong things _ , small useless projects that sprang to mind and left just as quickly. It had been a month and she still hadn’t finished that bird statue she was fixating on. Nevermind that her inability to sit still in class and actually focus was starting to already impact her grades.

The last one of which being the Law assignment given to them in their first lesson. Even with Ruri and Adam giving her the notes needed, somehow she managed to write up a fifteen page defense for the scenarios they were given, in accordance with Vacuan Law.

The team was given Mistral. 

Needless to say, she failed. 

She wasn’t the only one, though. Zanthus hadn’t written  _ anything  _ for the assignment. The nights the team spent in their dorm, trying to get through the mountain of work that their professors had thrown at him, Zanthus sat there with Eirian writing down his thoughts. Any questions asked about his inability to do his own work were brushed off with mumbled words and averted eyes. 

There was something. Something he wasn’t telling the others, but Adam knew he couldn’t be the one to try and ease it out into the open. 

Patience was a virtue, even if it was one he honestly admitted to not having. 

Other things required his attention, anyway. The final lesson of the week had everyone practically itching where they stood, eager to flee from the hall they were brought to and enjoy the weekend ahead of them. None dared to move, however. They couldn’t with the professor in charge of their lesson staring them down. 

Professor Kaseya Tabi. A mysterious woman once hailing from Mistral, she taught them Stealth and Security, where she was truly in her element. From underneath her black, metallic hat, narrow eyes stared at all the students before her, casted in shadows along with her tightly curled stark orange hair. 

Arms protected by silver gauntlets crossed her chest, with her mesh shirt exposing her muscular, heavily tattooed arms. Matching Adam in height, she commanded respect without speaking a word, the energy radiating off her catching to those around her. It was certainly… something. 

Yet when she spoke, that mystery vanished and her true personality shone. “Aight, so this is what’s gonna happen today, kids. We’re gonna have… a  _ sneak off. _ ”

“A… sneak off?” Zanthus piped up in confusion. 

“Came up with it myself.” She seemed so proud by that, clapping her bandaged hands together with a grin. “I could keep you guys in a classroom and tell youse all about what our class is about, but that’s boring and I don’t wanna.”

“I like her.” Eirian whispered to Zanthus. Both of them standing right behind Adam, hidden from the professor’s view.

Not that she noticed anyway. Bold and full of life, she was the complete opposite to the drained students in front of her, their dampened energy making her smile more forced the longer she tried to psyche them up.

“Guys, I know that it’s the last lesson before the weekend but at least pretend I have your attention.”

With a fist pumped up in the air, she let out what Adam could only describe as a war cry. “Now, are we ready?!”

No answer. Hand still in the air, she tried again through gritted teeth. “I  _ said,  _ are we ready?!”

“Yeah…” A few students piped up. One even tried to do a raised fist in response, only for their arm to drop back to their side, as if it was too much energy to even stand anymore. 

It was the best she was going to get, and Professor Tabi knew it. Her grin falling into more of a grimace, her hand fell down to her side, but she didn’t let her energy be sapped by the dour students around her. Still clinging on, she gestured to the empty room behind her with a stretched out hand. 

“Given that Glynda’s taken the Training Fields for her class today, I managed to wrangle the ERC to use instead.”

“The ERC?” Adam piped up, glancing at the empty room behind her with a skeptical look. “Looks like a sports hall if we’re being honest.”

“Cherry Bomb, you know better than to take things at first appearances.” He frowned at the nickname. Despite clearly seeing his sour expression, Tabi didn’t pay it any mind, rather pushing a button that was built into the wall right next to the ERC’s doors.

Deep rumbling could be felt through the ground. Bracing himself, Adam looked down at his feet in surprise, half expecting the floor to open up right below him. It remained solid. However, the same couldn’t be said for the regular looking sports hall behind Tabi. With the varnished wooden floors splitting and pulling away, various machine parts were exposed to the shocked students.

New buildings and objects were pulled up from the pits below. Rooms, already furnished, quickly built up, with different areas posing different challenges. Finally, the loud whirring died down. 

“This,” Professor Tabi started. “Is the work of Atlas when combined with the creativity of Vale. I’m sure you all know what ERC stands for?”

No answer. “That’s hurtful, guys. I thought you’d at least pay attention to  _ something  _ in my class. I’m disappointed.”

She certainly didn’t act at all like how Adam expected a Beacon professor to act. In fact, compared to the more serious Glynda, none of the professors were quite what he expected. 

“The Espionage and Rescue Centre. We usually reserve it for the higher years, but no one cares that I booked the Training Fields, it seems.” She was incredibly bitter about that. “Either way, you guys are gonna show me your stuff. So to speak.”

“What’d you have in mind?” Eirian spoke up, leaning around Adam so that the professor could see her.

“Stealth! Espionage! As future Huntsmen, you can’t just run into a fight, guns ablazing. Sometimes, you’ll need to strike from shadows, and that’s how today is gonna happen.” She explained.

Ruri said nothing to that, quietly standing next to Adam as the two shared a look. Neither knew exactly what to do with the eccentric teacher in front of them. 

Suddenly, her booming voice caught their attention. “You’ll all be put into pairs and given one of these.”

In her hand, a pair of silver bells rang softly as they swayed about. The same ones she was fond of wearing on her red sash that was tied tightly around her waist. 

“Both teams will have to try and take the others’ bells from them. Don’t think about hiding them either. They gotta be visible on the student’s body.”

While it made sense, it did make Adam sigh to himself. 

“The trick here is to use your smarts, not your fists, since if the other team takes your bells,  _ you fail. _ ” Her grin widened at that last sentence. What kind of sick pleasure was she getting out of this?!

Before anyone could ask their many questions, Professor Tabi added with a wavy smile on her face. “Be careful, though. These bells can be pretty noisy.”

As if to emphasise her point, she shook the bells in her hand. Once soft jingling turned into grating noise, easily heard by even the students that didn’t possess exceptional hearing. On cue, Zanthus’ ears perked up at the noise, focusing in on the source with a nervous look. 

“So you chose bells so that we would have to work around the noise they make?” Adam questioned.

“Spot on. Even the best of you will have a challenge on your hands, so think fast and think  _ smart. _ ” With a flick of her wrist, Tabi pulled the bells up and caught them tightly in her clenched fist, straightening herself up to full height as she carried on. “Now, I’mma be nice and let you guys pick your partners.”

“Uhh, any advice before we start this?” Eirian asked nervously.

“Yeah. Choose wisely.”

That was the only advice they were gonna get. Deep in thought, Adam looked around at the students around him, realising that despite having settled down into Beacon now, he hadn’t made any friends with anyone. Not even his own team were interested in being his partner for the exercise.

What would he do? It made his skin crawl with the idea of going to someone and asking them to work with him, that itchiness aggravating and his social ineptness truly shining through. Maybe someone would take the initiative and come to him first.

As he stood there mulling over his very limited choices, a hand softly tapped him on the shoulder. With a quick turn of his head, he saw Ruri standing right behind him, having remained in the spot she stood since the beginning of the class. Staring up at him, she gestured to herself. 

“You wanna be my partner?” Adam asked in surprise. 

A nod. Hand on the back of his head, he hummed softly to himself before pointing out. “You are pretty skilled for this kind of job. I could use that kinda partner.”

She smiled faintly at that. It was hard to spot, with her face returning to its neutral expression, but Adam managed to catch it before she did. It was nice, having someone around that wasn’t obviously struggling to deal with his… nature. 

That moment ended when he heard Eirian chatting behind him. “It’ll be easy. With your hearing and my sneakiness, we’ll pass through this test like ninjas.”

“We’re some pretty loud ninjas, then.” Zanthus grumbled. “You can’t even get outta bed without waking everyone up.”

“For the last time, I didn’t see the paint can by the door.”

“You were the one who left it there.”

Her face flushed completely red at that. Arms flailing around, she resembled an embarrassed child rather than a Huntress in training. “Well, I forget easily! I’m the only one in the dorm without night vision, so you can’t blame me when I stumble over something in the dark!”

“Okay, okay.” Zanthus comforted, picking Eirian up with his hands under her armpits. She was surprisingly light given how easy it was for him to pick her off the floor. “You’re only using me ‘cause of my ears, aren’t you?”

“And because I like you.”

“Aw…” His whole body softened at that. Ears lowered bashfully, he smiled while Eirian grinned in his grip.

Still hoisted off the ground, the energetic girl twisted her head around, trying to look at Ruri and Adam before calling over to them. “Have you picked your partner yet, Ruri?”

“She has.” Adam spoke up for her, crossing his arms with narrowed eyes. His frown deepened when Zanthus’ face darkened, leaning around Eirian to look at the feline Faunus properly. “Is there a problem with that?”

“If that’s what Ruri decided, then that’s fine. I’m not so childish that her picking you would upset me.” Zanthus shrugged.

“That’s great that we’re able to work as a team…” Eirian muttered, turning her head back to Zanthus. “It is called Team AZRE. We should be trying to put our differences aside and get through our lessons.”

Even though Zanthus wasn’t pleased at all with her suggestions, he didn’t try and push the argument any further. Instead, he put Eirian back down on the ground, silently nodding to Adam with his lips pulled into a tight line. A temporary truce. It was as good as he was going to get. 

From behind them, Professor Tabi grabbed everyone’s attention again with her powerful voice. “Alright, we all partnered up?”

“Yes, Professor.” Her students replied.

“Great! Now, you all will go into the ERC and the lesson will begin.” She gestured to the open doors, quickly adding before her class could even move. “Remember, anyone who loses their bells are out and will fail. Try and last out the time with your bell.”

A time limit. Silence drifted across the entire group, no one saying anything with the reality setting in. 

Slowly, they started to approach the open doors leading into the ERC, taking the bells handed to them by Professor Tabi as they passed by. With his own in hand, Adam stared down at it with curiosity, listening to its faint jingling as it swayed in his grip. Light bounced off the silver metal, sparkling with surprising beauty.

Ruri kept close to his side. Her own bell in hand, she quickly tied it to the belt wrapped around her waist. Thankfully, all the students were permitted to wear their combat clothes for the more practical lessons, if only because running around in their uniform was more hassle than it was worth. 

Attaching his own to his belt, near his sheathed sword, Adam looked around at his surroundings. No longer were they in some typical gym one would find at a school. Rather, it seemed that Adam and Ruri wandered into a traditional Mistrali home, complete with furniture and sliding doors. A stereotypical place for a stealth mission, he thought with a deadpan expression on his face.

No one else was able to follow them when whirring echoed through the air. All of a sudden, the room started to shift, with walls rising to cut Adam and Ruri off from the other students that were behind them, including Zanthus and Eirian. They were all alone.

“To push everyone to their limits today,” Tabi’s voice crackled to life over a comms system. “The ERC has been designed to constantly change the environments you are all in. Different environments need different skill sets to traverse, so keep your wits about you, and remember, you have to defend your bells as well as steal others.”

Then the voice died down. Alone in complete silence, Adam could only glance over at Ruri, the two clearly saying what they were thinking without even speaking. Those purple eyes were focused. Sharp, she analysed their surroundings, kneeling down to the ground when an alarm sounded loudly.

Begin.

All his years in the White Fang, and even more so trying to stay hidden in the SDC, had left Adam with the skills necessary for stealth missions. Yet the way Ruri moved, he felt like he was just a novice. No sound of footsteps, no creaking of the tatami mats that decorated the false home they were in. Nothing. 

She was practically a ghost.

Pressing her back against the wall, she had a hand on the floor and the other around the bells on her belt. Not even looking at Adam as he moved to her side, kneeling down with ears straining to hear anything, she furrowed her eyebrows in concentration.

Someone was around. Slowly, she rose to her feet, holding a hand out to stop Adam from moving while she stayed pressed up against the wall. Candlelight barely lit anything up. Small flames that casted spots of light around the room, anyone not lucky enough to have night vision would find themselves stumbling in the dark.

There. From behind the closed shoji doors, a silhouette wandered by, accompanied by another one following after them. Confidence pushed Adam’s desire to act. They could take on two students. However, Ruri didn’t seem to think so, her hand now pushing into Adam’s chest to keep him in place.

Patience was certainly not his virtue. Scowling, he waited for her cue, knowing better than to go against what his partner decided was the best course of action.

Suddenly, she struck.

Speed and precision, she pulled the shoji doors open and dragged the second student inside, holding them tight against her body with a gloved hand slapped tightly against their mouth. Muffled noises were all they could make. 

That was one way to do this. Adam was honestly impressed, searching the person for the bells while Ruri kept a tight grip on them. Given the rules set out by Professor Tabi, it wasn’t hard to spot the silver bells hanging from the person’s wrist, attached to the cloth bands that were pulled tight against their flesh.

With one quick pull, the cords on the prize came undone, and the duo claimed their reward. Bells in hand, Adam turned to the captive students and whispered to his partner. “What’d we do with him?”

Silent, she glanced at the person in her grip. Something glistened in those eyes, and with a smirk playing on her lips, she forced the person’s arms behind them and, with one swift movement, undid the belt around their waist. Before they could protest, she fastened the belt around their hands tightly. Tied up like a little package was the only thing he could compare it to. 

Pants around their legs and hands bound, they could only shuffle forward before Ruri forced them to the ground, kicking their leg out from under them while holding on tightly to the back of their shirt. A sharp grunt escaped them, their voice croaked and harsh as they snapped. “Come on, you don’t need to tie me up like a dinner turkey.”

“Don’t want you running off to tell anyone else where we are.” Adam piped up, tossing the stolen bells up in the air repeatedly. “You can sit around until class is over.”

“Oh, you’re a real joker, aren’t you?”

Ruri gave the other Faunus a look, silently asking him for permission before he waved her to follow him. “We don’t have time to waste. Just leave him.”

With a little pout, she didn’t push it any further. With the unfortunate student tied up and unable to go anywhere, he was left behind as the two exited the room. Shoji door sliding shut quietly, they stood there in the dark hallway.

Silence crept up towards them. It was eerie, with hairs standing up on the back of Adam’s neck. Slow, careful steps down the hall, they crept through, Ruri taking the lead with her hand touching the wall. Adam didn’t speak. He didn’t dare to, instead watching her fingers grazing the dark wood walls. 

He had known about the specific skills some Faunus possessed, beyond night vision they all had. Feline ones like Blake and Zanthus had acute hearing, able to pinpoint the drop of a needle in a silent room. Others, like Ruri’s fish-like brethren, could sense even the tiniest of vibrations in whatever they touched. Given her inability to hear, this skill proved invaluable to her. 

Tabi shoes muffling her footsteps, she pressed up against the wall as soon as they reached a corner. One hand on Adam’s stomach, she guided him after her, peeking around the corner carefully in case the other student from before was still around. Those few seconds of silence were stifling. 

She moved. Sneaking around the corner, she was only out of Adam’s sight for a second before he heard a loud thud and sounds of struggling. His feet moved without thinking. 

There, he saw the source of the commotion. Pinned to the ground, Ruri was helpless with another student on top of her, having pinned her arm behind her back while trying to grab the bells tied to her belt. Adam had to act. Before he knew it, his arm wrapped around the person’s neck and pulled them off from on top of his partner.

Suddenly, his grip loosened with the person’s neck turning to smoke. It wafted up into his face, burning his eyes and lungs as he accidentally breathed it in, only able to back away while coughing harshly. Rough hands gripped the back of his coat. Before he knew it, the world around him spun uncontrollably, and his body practically bounced as he was thrown to the floor. 

Air vanished from his lungs. Chest and eyes burning terribly, he gritted his teeth in pain as he tried to lift his head, only able to see a fuzzy outline of something approaching him. Everything hurt. His arms ached as he pushed his upper body up, blinking the tears away while focusing on whoever it was coming towards him. 

Finally, his vision managed to clear up enough, and the student approaching him was not Ruri. It was likely the one from before. Smoke emitting from their body, he couldn’t see their face from behind the ominous gas mask that they were wearing. Glass goggles stared at him eerily, the heavy breathing echoing through the hallway the only noise they made save for their heavy footsteps. 

He hadn’t even seen them move before. Their Semblance was something, rendering them completely untouchable while choking all unfortunate enough to be close enough. 

Dragging himself backwards, Adam pushed himself to try and get back to his feet, but every bit of energy he had felt like it was being snatched away. His head was swimming. He couldn’t breath, couldn’t focus. All he could do was sit there as the person slowly choked the very life out of him. 

Where was Ruri?

He couldn’t see her through the thick haze emitting from the student in front of him. No matter how hard he tried, all he could see was grey, dark figures shifting in the background. What was that?

In an instant, the smoke lifted. He couldn’t see properly through blurred vision, but the heavy thud of something hitting the floor was unmistakable. When Adam wiped his eyes to clear his vision, he looked up to see someone standing over the student. It wasn’t Ruri. 

Muscular arms pinning the student down, Adam could recognise Zanthus from anywhere, even with the cape wrapped around his face like a makeshift bandana. His grip tight on the poor student’s arm, he pulled it back almost painfully, using his free one to pin them down with it pressed against the center of his back. 

“Neat Semblance.” He muttered, swapping his hand pushed down on the student’s back for his knee while he removed the cape wrapped tightly around his face. “That mask isn’t just for aesthetics, is it? Don’t wanna breathe in those fumes you give off?”

They didn’t reply. From behind their mask, Adam could make out pained grunts, managing to find the strength to get to his feet while Zanthus finally looked up at him. “You alright, Adam?”

“I’ve been better.” He croaked back, massaging his throat with a pained look. 

“I can imagine.” 

It wasn’t a harsh jab. At least, Adam tried to not take it as such, knowing that now was not the best time to start another argument with his teammate. So, with a deep sigh, he let the anger go. For now. 

“How come you dropped in like that?” He asked.

Standing up from on top of the student, Zanthus helped them to lean against the wall, checking their sore limbs to make sure he didn’t go overboard. As he did so, he glanced up at Adam with a curious gaze. 

“Heard the commotion and smelt the smoke. I knew you and Ruri were around here somewhere, and I guess… I guess I was just worried.”

“We’re technically working against each other, though.”

“Well, I’m not gonna try to steal your bell.” Zanthus got up to his feet. “Are you?”

The two stood off against each other. Even with the animosity between them, in that moment, Zanthus wasn’t angry anymore. His question didn’t feel like he was accusing Adam, but rather clearing the air. With his body relaxed and hands lazily on his hips, the whole energy around him was welcoming, and it had more of an effect on Adam than he cared to admit.

Voice softening unintentionally, he confessed. “No.”

“Alright. It’s a truce, then.” Taking a step closer, Zanthus held his hand out expectantly. 

Adam stared down at it. For a moment, he thought against shaking it, that same bitterness and pettiness voicing its opinion in the back of his mind, but he didn’t. Rather, he took Zanthus’ hand and firmly shook it.

A smile formed across his face. A few seconds passed with them mutually accepting the other around them, and then the attention was brought back to something behind them. “Oooo, smoky!”

Eirian’s voice was unmissable. Chipper, she treated the situation the same way she did for everything, with a can do attitude and a smile on her face. Holding Ruri up in her arms, allowing the other girl to support herself on her body, she turned to the sore student on the floor with a surprised expression. 

“Did you lose your bell?”

They nodded silently. “Don’t worry about it. You did pretty well with that Semblance of yours!”

“Eirian, this is supposed to be a stealth mission.” Zanthus chided, turning his attention over to her with an exasperated sigh. 

“Right, right. Stealth mode. Got it.” She fell silent. At least, only for a few moments, before she turned to Ruri and piped up. “Did you guys get any bells?”

“ _ Eirian. _ ”

“We did.” Adam answered, holding up the bells that they took from the other student before. “Ruri caught one just after the timer started. Speaking of which, you guys know how much longer we got?”

“I didn’t see a clock around here.” Zanthus replied.

“Well, now that we’re all together, we can hide until the timer runs out.” Eirian pointed out enthusiastically. 

Adam’s scowl worsened at that. “Why would we wanna hide?”

“We got our bells, and spares to boot. The whole point of this exercise is to hide yourself and protect what is yours from those who’re doing the same.” She explained nervously. “It doesn’t really make sense to run around and try to fight everyone we come across. At least, that’s what I think.”

“She’s not exactly wrong.” Zanthus joined in, unsurprisingly siding with Eirian while Adam stood there.

He hated to admit it, but they were right. This wasn’t combat training, and he knew from what just happened that they weren't invincible amongst their fellow students. So, for now, he pulled his temper back and nodded in agreement, keeping his voice low as he finally acknowledged Ruri. “Are you alright, Ruri? They didn’t get you too bad, did they?”

She shook her head softly. As if to prove her point, she finally let go of Eirian and stood up on her own, albeit a bit wobbling from the rough landing she had just before. At least she wasn’t hurt. 

Relieved, he moved to her side, wanting to make sure before addressing the group. “Fine. We’ll do it your way.”

Despite the biting tone to his voice, Zanthus didn’t call him out on it. Thankfully, he focused on the mission on hand, turning back to Eirian as he took the lead. Despite being the leader, Adam found himself wandering at the back, even behind Ruri, and couldn’t do anything about it. They had a truce. That did not mean the team accepted him as their leader. 

In all honesty, he had no idea how to change their minds. 

Together, they moved through the hallways and rooms with caution. For a classroom as big as theirs, it was surprising how they all managed to disappear, leaving the group of four wandering around the emptiness for what felt like forever. None dared to speak. They needed silence to focus, with Zanthus listening out for even the quietest of noises. 

His ears constantly moved around. Swivelling on top of his head, they pinpointed on anything that echoed through the space, the group stopping until he decided it was time to move again. 

Suddenly, the familiar whirring rang in their ears. Backing off from the group a little, Adam looked around in panic, wondering what was happening now when Professor Tabi’s voice crackled over the comms again. “Ten more minutes, students. Keep up the work!”

Ten minutes. He hadn’t even realised that much time had passed. The distraction proved detrimental, as when he finally paid attention to what was happening, he found the section of the hallway he was standing in shifting suddenly, spinning around before he could even move. The rest of his teammates tried to reach him, Zanthus calling out his name in a panic. “Adam-!”

His voice was cut off when the section fully spinned around. Now, Adam found himself in an open space, with buildings and alleyways mimicking the open city streets. How they managed to fit this all in the space they were given was unimaginable. 

No longer in constricting hallways with many rooms to hide away in, he felt exposed. 

Wandering through the fake street, he held onto his weapon tightly. Ten minutes. He just had to hold out for ten more minutes. Slinking into a narrow alleyway, he thought about hiding away and waiting it out, finding himself annoyed that he was agreeing with  _ Eirian  _ of all people. Even though he was willing to extend a temporary olive branch to Zanthus, he refused to share the same courtesy to a human. 

All the attempts she made to build that bridge further aggravated him. But those intrusive thoughts would have to wait, he had more important things to focus on at that moment. 

“Looks like someone’s got outta the pen.” That voice. Adam knew it, immediately tensing up as he turned around to the source of the voice.

That boy from Oobleck’s class. Gustave Rouge. It had been weeks since they ran into each other properly, but his face was always around in the background. Ice blue eyes, shaggy brown hair, and a strong jawline were the most distinguishable thing on him. Out of his uniform, he stood on a fire escape high above Adam, looking down with leather gloved hands gripping the black metal. 

That smug look on his face boiled Adam’s blood even more. Hand gripping on his sword, he shot back venomously. “Knew you weren't the type to ever be quiet. A deaf person could hear your fat ass coming their way.”

“Cheeky asswipe.” Gustave grumbled back. 

Quickly, he hopped down from his perch on the fire escape, landing roughly on the ground a few feet in front Adam. Leather hunting boots creaked with the movement, but that wasn’t what caught the Faunus’ attention. Strapped to his back, Gustave pulled out a blunderbuss gun, holding onto it with his smug smirk widening.

Adam was ready to fight. Something felt off though, and he couldn’t let it go as he snapped at Gustave again. “Where’s your entourage? Finally had enough of you after only a month?”

“Dunno. We got separated in here, which is what I’m guessing happened to you too,  _ vache. _ ” The insult dug right under his skin. Atlesian assholes were all the same.

The heated glare he gave Gustave only spurred him on. Even if Adam knew he was being egged on, he couldn’t stop his rage from bubbling over the top, teeth gritting together as he continued. “Kitty isn’t around? Took him to the pound after all, huh? I guess we all can’t be good pet owners.”

“That’s  _ it! _ ” Adam bellowed, rushing forward with his hand on his sword. 

Energy within him flared. He didn’t care about area damage, zoning in on his target and ignoring all around him. A swift swipe, an attempt to cleave the boy in half, but his weapon was stopped suddenly. Surprised, Adam saw Gustave blocking the blow with his blunderbuss. Sparks flew as metal scraped against metal. 

A rough kick to the abdomen and he was sent flying backwards. Boots dug into the ground, his sword driven into the stone to slow him down, but there was not even a second for him to breathe. Aggressive, Gustave descended onto the Faunus with harsh blows, spinning his weapon around with blades coming out of the blunderbuss’ handle. Someone took inspiration from Professor Port.

Managing to deflect an attack, Adam flanked around him, hopping onto the wall before pushing off with his foot. Once in the air, he spun his blade around like a saw blade as he threw it straight at his opponent. With a quick deflect, Gustave sent it back to Adam with his grin never leaving. 

He would wipe that grin off the posh prick’s face. Without missing a beat, Adam grabbed hold of the sword’s sheath and activated his Semblance, flaring up a stark red as he slashed downwards at Gustave. Energy surged outward. A powerful blast, it sent the other student flying backwards.

Unlike Adam, he wasn’t lucky enough to stay on his feet. Still, he rolled with the movement, managing to roll onto his knees with one hand on the ground. Dust kicked up from their fight drifted in the air. Thick and heavy on his lungs with every breath, Adam panted softly to himself. 

Gustave was  _ still  _ smiling. Pearly white teeth flashing, he got up to his feet once more and shouted out in excitement. “That’s it,  _ la vache folle!  _ You certainly proved yourself an exceptional example for your species.”

“How is it you still act like a twat even when complimenting someone?” Adam shot back, flicking his sword to the side. “Shame I can’t say any Atlesian is worth complimenting.”

“ _ Va te faire foutre! _ ”

“Sorry, I don’t speak asshole.”

A shot rang through the air. Ringing in Adam’s ears, he barely blocked the bullets that were fired at him. Red metal flaring up for a moment, he could feel the energy from it seeping into his being, unable to stop the shock at just how  _ powerful  _ that blow was. This was serious.

The end of his gun still smoking, Gustave didn’t waste any more time trying to rile Adam up. Rather, he charged straight for the Faunus, the axe mode of his weapon popping out as he swung wildly. There was no form to his attacks anymore. He was like a wild animal, lashing out in rage while Adam was forced on the defensive. There was strength behind the blows, with Gustave visibly more muscular than Adam himself, and that pure strength gave him the advantage.

On the retreat, he ran through the alleyway with his opponent hot on his heels. Both danced around each other. Jumping over obstacles and dodging wild gunshots, Adam hopped up on a fire escape above him, similar to the one Gustave was standing on before, using the momentum to flip himself up and land soundly. 

The high ground gave one certain advantages. Swift and nimble, he ran through the first level of the alleyways, wincing when more gunshots rang off the metal, sparks flying close to his face from the bullets scraping against the railings. 

Hand on his weapon, he hopped down from his platform and twisted his upper body around. Power ran through him, from his chest to the very tips of his fingers, and with a sharp yell, he cut through the couplings that attached the fire escape to the wall. Metal screeched loudly as it gave way. Right on top of Gustave.

Dust covered all around, blinding Adam as he covered his face with his sleeve, coughing loudly while trying to peer through the thick cover surrounding him. It irritated his eyes terribly.

Finally, it started to settle down. With his arm lowering slightly, he looked ahead of him, unable to hear anything from the wreckage. Destroyed metal crumpled together, there was nothing of Gustave visible from the towering pile. That didn’t make Adam feel better. Stomach twisting, he feared the worst, that he had gone too far again. 

He only took a step forward before hearing spluttering off to the side. When he looked in the direction, the fear sitting in the pit of his stomach faded away, and for a moment, he forgot who the person was and sighed in relief. Gustave wasn’t dead.

But then the fight before sprang back to mind. Immediately, Adam took the chance, appearing in front of the sitting teen with his sword tucked under the other’s chin. Strangled grunts were all he made, a sweat drop rolling down the side of his face while Adam snapped darkly. “Give it up. You lost.”

There was something else he could do. With his sword practically pressed to Gustave’s throat, his free hand snatched the bells that were dangling on the belt fastened across his chest, out in plain view of everyone. 

“And this,” Adam started, holding up the bells with a smirk, “is mine.”

Just then, a loud ringing sound echoed through the entire ERC. The end of the lesson, and the pretend mission. 

“Congrats, students.” Professor Tabi’s voice congratulated. “Please, make your way back to the foyer to return your bells and receive your marks.”

After the orders aired across the comms, that familiar whirring replaced her voice and sure enough, the buildings around them started dipping into the darkness opening in the floors. Entire streets and buildings swallowed up into nothingness. It was certainly a wonder to those fortunate to see it. 

Sighing in exhaustion, Adam finally let Gustave go with his sword moving away from his throat. Dry coughs his thanks, he watched the Atlesian student rub his neck gingerly, sheathing the sword while rubbing salt in the wounds. “I’d go and tell Professor Tabi how you were bested by a  _ vache. _ ”

The insult thrown back in his face did little to quell Gustave’s clear rage. For a moment, Adam half expected the human to forgo the rules of the class and go for another blow, but even with the weapon sheathed and Gustave given complete freedom again, he made no such move. Rather, he sat there while Adam made a move to leave, hearing Zanthus’ voice in the background. 

“Adam! Adam, where are you?!”

“Over here!” He answered before even thinking about it. 

“You know, I shouldn’t be surprised.” Gustave’s voice sprung up. Pausing, Adam turned around, listening with a narrowed eye as he continued vindictively. “The way you talked about the White Fang in Oobleck’s class, how you always jump to violence, you’re a credit to your race. A bunch of savage, idiotic anarchists that threw away the only good thing they had going for them.”

“If you wanna utter another word, stand up, and I’ll kick your ass again.”

A chuckle had Adam seething more. “That’s exactly what I’m talking about. Honestly, that bandage of yours must be hiding some nasty stuff.”

“ _ Don’t. _ ”

“What happened, anyway?” Gustave pressed, his voice turning into a mocking drone. “You got put in your place, and now you’re acting out like an angry child? Daddy didn’t discipline you enough?”

“ _ Shut. Up. _ ” Adam’s tone went dangerously low. He was about to snap, he could feel it. 

“Soft spot. Do you even have a father,  _ vache?  _ I heard that bulls leave the heifer after doing it. Got a taste of the milk and fucked off, did he?”

Red mist descended over him. Sword raised high above his head, he let out an enraged cry, ready to bring it down on his head and end the scum right where he sat. All attempts to stop him were ignored. His rational thoughts screamed at him, trying to remind him what he was trying to do, that he was trying to change, but its cries went unheard.

He would’ve gone through with it, if not for hands grabbed hold of him and wrenching him away. Voices in his ears, he couldn’t make sense of it, struggling and thrashing about in the tight grip. “ _ Let go of me!” _

“Stop, Adam.” Zanthus. His voice was a harsh whisper, a complete opposite to Adam’s rage filled screams. “Don’t do something you’ll regret.”

Nostrils flared with his angry panting. With Zanthus refusing to let go, his superior strength keeping the other teen practically pinned to him, Adam was left stuck there while the blinding rage faded away. Rational thought clawed its way back into his mind. Yet, he couldn’t pay it any attention, too focused on the venomous words thrown at him to even think straight. 

“Be angry. Be upset, but don’t let yourself fall to his level.” Zanthus advised.

Slowly, he let the angry Faunus go, trusting him enough to not start another fight again. When Adam looked over at him, he noticed Ruri and Eirian a few feet behind him, watching the whole scene with shocked expressions on their face. Eirian even had her hands covering her mouth, having no words to say about what she had just witnessed.

_ Stop staring. Please, stop looking at me. _

He never voiced those pleas. 

Without a word, he pushed past Zanthus and stormed back to where all the students had gathered. Silent, he still had that dangerous energy around him, bringing the mood of the room down when he burst back into the foyer to the surprise of the others, and to Professor Tabi.

“Ah, Cherry Bomb, I was wondering when you and your team would-” She was cut off by Adam chucking the bells he collected at her. 

Silent, he didn’t stop, stomping past the others in his class and towards the exit, eager to leave and go back to his dorms. Even when the professor called after him, he ignored her. He didn’t have the energy or the skill to answer her questions without erupting again. He just wanted to be alone. 

The whole walk back to the dorms were a quiet one. Only when he reached the familiar building did he notice other students congregating around it, finally free from the heavy work of the week and looking forward to the weekend ahead of them. 

Some glanced his way when he passed by, but none tried to grab his attention. Quickly, they learned that it was better to leave Adam alone, especially when he was in a foul mood. And this one was one of the worst moods he had ever been. Given everything he had been through, that was a feat. 

Finally, he made it back to his door. Door shut, he would’ve enjoyed the blissful silence and time to himself, if not for the ripping sorrow in his gut. Years he had managed to suppress those emotions. Those memories. They gripped at him, tearing into him like claws while he threw himself onto his bed, not even bothering with his shoes as he rolled onto his back.

Staring up at the ceiling, he felt like ripping his hair out, unable to stop the intrusive thoughts from coming to the front of his mind as nails dug painfully into his palms. He couldn’t calm down. He couldn’t think of anything else.

Vivid green eyes and cherry red hair filled his mind. He could almost smell that perfume, the faint scent of peaches, and the soft touch on his head, ruffling his hair, or caressing his cheeks. Comforting words whispered in his ears. A voice long gone, but remained in him. He hadn’t thought about her in years. He didn’t want to.

The pain of missing her was too much to deal. All that pain came right on top of him, with Gustave’s words echoing in the back of his mind. 

_ Do you even have a father, vache? _

Eyes drifting close, he could picture her perfectly. His mother. His biological one. 

_ “Can you tell me more about Dad, mama? Please?”  _ His childish voice begged. Adam, only eight years old, he could remember the need to learn more about his father. 

Who was he? What was he like? Why did he leave?

And every time, his mother would caress his cheeks and answer in ways that didn’t hurt so much. Remembering the way her eyebrows lifted ever so slightly, how her eyes scrunched up and glistened with unshed tears, only for her to quickly wipe them away as to not worry her child. 

_ “I will when you’re older. I promise.”  _ She would say every time. Yet every time, he wouldn’t be old enough for her. 

Now that he was older and wiser, he could look back in a completely different light. All she did, she did to protect him, and he never got to thank her for the sacrifices she made. For all the times he made things hard for her, or the SDC, or the humans themselves.

Guilt and pain tore him up from the inside, nearly sending him into a sobbing mess. He missed her so much. He would give anything to have her back. Even his own life. 

Suddenly, the sound of the door open had Adam scrambling to compose himself, rubbing his eyes furiously to get rid of any tears. As he lowered his arm to see who it was, he was greeted by Zanthus, and only him. 

For a moment, he waited for Eirian and Ruri to come in, peering around the feline Faunus only to find him completely alone. With the door shut behind him, Zanthus answered Adam’s unspoken question. “Eirian and Ruri went to the library to take out some books. Thought it was a good idea for me to come and talk to you without any… problems about Eirian being here.”

He didn’t even have the energy to feel relieved that Eirian was keeping her distance. In all honesty, he needed her bright personality to distract him from the thoughts that wouldn’t go away. 

“You don’t need to come and check up on me. I’m fine.”

Zanthus wasn’t convinced. Trudging over to his bed, he sat down with a deep sigh, the mattress sinking under his weight while he softly replied. “I know that we’re not friends. You might hate me, and that’s fine… but I can’t sit back and watch my teammate be upset without trying to help.”

“I don’t exactly deserve it, though. You said it yourself.” Adam sat up properly, legs swinging over the side of his bed while he recalled bitterly. “I’m not your friend, and I’m not interested in being your friend. This relationship between us is purely  _ professional. _ ”

“I know you overheard our talk that night we argued, but you don’t get to be angry at us for how you behaved. That’s not fair.” 

Adam glanced away with a scowl, thought still listening while Zanthus continued calmly. “I’m not here to fight. Eirian’s my friend, she’s my teammate, Ruri too. They're the closest thing I have to family anymore, and even if you don’t want to be a part of that, it doesn’t change the fact that you’re my teammate, too. And… I know what it’s like to have a complicated past with family.”

That peaked Adam’s interest. Finally meeting Zanthus’ gaze, the two sat there in silence, watching the other before the blonde teenager sighed deeply. “It’s not exactly something I talk about often.”

“Something’s been on my mind. You said you were from Mistral, but you don’t exactly look Mistrali.”

“I could say the same to you. What kinda Mistrali name is Adam?”

Adam’s eyes narrowed at that. “It’s ‘cause I’m from Mantle, dick.”

Despite the insult at the end, Zanthus didn’t take any offense to it. In fact, he laughed softly, the way his face brightened up leaving Adam dumbfounded with heat flushing to his face. It was actually nice seeing him like that. Not arguing or frustrated with their leader, just… having fun.

Sadly, that happiness faded when Zanthus confessed sadly. “I’m only Mistrali by nationality. My parents didn’t exactly settle down in their own homeland.”

Leaning back on the bed, he gazed off out of the window, watching the Spring sun beam through and illuminate the room. The way the warm light highlighted his bronze skin was dazzling, just like the sparkling beams bouncing off his armour. 

“My dad came from Vale. An old fishing village to the north east of here. And my mom came from Vacuo, near the border between it and Vale. Neither of them stayed for very long, and they had me and my sister in Mistral.” He paused for a moment. “Even before I ran away, it wasn’t really a happy time.”

“You ran away?”

“Yep. Thirteen years old, I had enough. My dad was a piece of shit and my mom didn’t care. Packed up what little I had and hit the road… Wound up in Haven, if you could believe it.”

Haven. Adam knew the place well. A cesspool of poverty and abuse that not even the human citizens were free of. The higher you lived in the levels, the better your life, but he would not return to the lower rings of the city if his life depended on it. 

Zanthus’ voice suddenly dropped. A murmur, he seemed distracted by something, focusing on something that wasn’t even there as he continued. “I ran into some very bad people. Ring runners, folks that took in Faunus and made them fight for entertainment.”

“I’ve heard of them.”

“Then you know what happens to those who lose.” That he did. “I stayed there for a couple years. I couldn’t exactly go anywhere, I was stuck in the contract and all my earnings went to my boss. I couldn’t even sneeze without his saying so. Not that far off from the SDC mines…”

He gave Adam a knowing look. As if on cue, his scar started burning, aching terribly while Zanthus carried on telling his story. 

“I did bad things, Adam. Real bad things, and I’m not proud of them. I guess that’s why I’m doing half the things now for you. Because I know what it’s like to be hated, to be so ridden with guilt over your past.”

“You don’t even know my past.”

“I don’t. But I know that whatever happened to you, it’s stuck. Take it from me, that kinda thing never goes away easily.” He was speaking from experience. The way he straight up told Adam it, the confidence in his advice, it was impossible to ignore.

Glancing away, Adam thought about coming clean. Keeping secrets for so long took a toll on a person. But he couldn’t. What he did in the White Fang, it was something he had to carry on his shoulders, and he feared that despite what Zanthus just told him, he would turn his back on Adam completely if he knew the whole truth.

Still, the trust he put in Adam was not ignored. Slowly, layer by layer, he felt himself coming clean about a few things. “I guess you know what it’s like to have humans dictate your every move. But were there any Faunus there?”

“Sure. The few that raised up, anyway. They mostly kept the others in line.”

“So you can imagine what the Faunus felt knowing their own people helped in their oppression.” Adam paused for a moment. “It was the exact same thing in the SDC mines back home.”

“You worked for the SDC?”

“I wouldn’t exactly call it working for them, but yes. In a way.” 

Zanthus stiffened up at that, giving Adam his full attention as he unloaded some of the weight that he had carried for  _ years. _

“My mother worked for them before I was even born. You could say I was born into it, and I’d pretty much agree. In Mantle, you had very few job opportunities, and even less as a Faunus. Our people either became criminals, maids, hookers… or they’d go to the mines.” His scowl deepened as he remembered the dingy streets of Mantle. 

The way the fumes choked the air, how it stained the very buildings themselves. How above all of them, like a taunting sign, Atlas floated in the skies, powered by the blood, sweat and tears of Mantle. Of the Faunus that died in their mines, bringing crystals to the surface that kept the whole of Remnant alive.

“Many died in those mines, including my friend’s parents. I almost came close a few times myself.” He sighed. “Managed to escape when I was ten. Came to Mistral, and the rest is history.”

“What’d you do in Mistral?”

“It doesn’t matter.” His response was quick and sharp. It was one secret he wasn’t ready to tell yet.

And luckily, Zanthus moved on to something else. “And your mother?”

The longest silence fell on them. Adam didn’t know how to respond, staring down at the carpet that decorated their dorm, watching his shoes kick at it with hands clasped together on his lap. 

Slowly, he muttered a short answer. “She died.”

“Oh… I’m sorry for your loss.” Zanthus comforted. “What was your father doing during this?”

“I… don’t know. I never met him.”

Ears swiveled back completely on Zanthus’ head Staring sadly at his teammate, he didn’t have the words to say, only able to lend a listening ear when Adam continued in an angry tone. “Now you know why I hate humans. Why there can never be peace between us and them. Do you really think it can happen after what Gustave said? How he saw my mother as nothing more than an animal, a thing that was discarded like she was nothing?!”

“I understand your pain. My parents are still alive, but they are practically dead to me. I know how lonely and painful grief can be, how angry it can make you, especially when the world keeps kicking you down.” Zanthus refused to raise to Adam’s anger. His words were calm, collected, and Adam felt his anger simmering with the civil conversation. “I can’t make you let go of that pain. I can’t make you let go of this hatred, but I can help you try to move on. Not just for you, but for the people who are still here, who still  _ love  _ you.”

“And who’s that? Who could possibly love me?”

“I do. So does Eirian, so does Ruri. Even when we try to keep our distance, we still care enough about you that we want you to be okay.”

The confession left Adam stunned. For so long, he was used to people accepting him only when he had something to gain. Even Kaanchana’s love for him came and went whenever he did something that displeased her. 

It confused him. It  _ scared  _ him. Sitting there, he could only splutter out. “But I never did anything to deserve it.”

“Adam, you don’t need to earn the right for people to care about you if they want to.” Zanthus pointed out, gesturing with a hand wide open. “What you did was wrong, and it’ll take some time for you to gain our complete trust, but whether we trust you or not does not erase the fact that we still believe you’re a good person. It’s deep down, don’t get me wrong, but it’s still there.”

“And do the others believe this, too?”

“I don’t think you need me to tell you that. Eirian found it especially hard to stay away, and I know she’s been taking Ruri’s tupperware to bring your lunch.”

“She told me Ruri packed those lunches herself.” Adam would remember this.

Zanthus laughed at that. “Yeah, no. It was definitely Eirian… and speaking of her.”

Oh, no. Adam knew the conversation would eventually come back to the missing girl. So, he braced himself for another argument that would surely go around in circles.

“I get it, your experiences with humans haven’t been the best, but do you really think treating Eirian like this is going to make things better? Make  _ you  _ feel better?”

“I’m not suddenly going to be her friend because you want me to be.”

“I’m not asking that. All I want is just for you to be more considerate. Growing up in Menagerie with a human mother has made things difficult for her, and even though she won’t say it, I will.” Zanthus eyebrows furrowed. “Just… leave her be. When she’s talking, don’t treat her like every other Faunus has her whole life. If we want things to be better, we can’t throw every human we know under the bus.”

Adam wanted to argue back. Yet he didn’t. Somehow, he knew that Zanthus spoke from a place of suffering, knowing how bad it is for their people, and while he was still angry and still unwilling to let Eirian in, he was willing to at least stop biting her head off every time she came near him. At least, for as long as his temper held on for. 

With a brisk nod, Zanthus loosened up and smiled warmly. “Okay. Thank you.”

The two sat there quietly. It was nice, save for the questions circling Adam’s head. Even with Zanthus having admitted to so much of his past already, there were still gaps in the story, gaps that Adam was eager to learn more of. Yet he held his tongue. Zanthus gave him the decency to keep his past private. The least he could do was offer that decency back.

Any thoughts vanished when the door slammed open. Bouncing off the wall and sending vibrations throughout the room, Adam and Zanthus practically jumped off their beds as they turned to the person who interrupted them. 

Bright red eyes peering from behind the stack of books she carried in, Eirian entered the room fully with a triumphant voice. “I found them!”

“Found… what?” Zanthus asked nervously, trying to calm his speeding heart before it completely stopped.

Dropping the books on the desk next to her, Eirian turned to her friend, pointing a thumb over her shoulder to Ruri, who had followed the boisterous student in while closing the door far more gently than it was opened.

“The books we need for Professor Oobleck’s history assignment. We gotta research on the history of Menagerie, so I thought I’d grab every book I could find.” She rubbed the back of her head bashfully. “And I always got my dad on call if we need him. He knows practically everything about home.”

“Well, you can read those and write down the notes for our assignment.” Zanthus shrugged.

“Nope, nu-uh, I wrote your notes down last time. We’re gonna work as a team and we’re gonna do this assignment  _ together! _ ” She ordered as she put a fist in the air. 

No one else was excited. Well, maybe Ruri was a little excited, but it was difficult to tell with her stoic expression most of the time. 

Zanthus, however, seemed more unsure and nervous about the prospect of reading the books. Twiddling his thumbs, he glanced away when Eirian pointed out with worry clear in her voice and on her face. “Hey, what’s wrong? You were like this the last time I tried to get you to read the assigned books.”

He looked around. Surrounded by his team, there was no escape, and it was only a matter of time before the truth came out. He couldn’t exactly hide it forever. 

Ears hidden in his thick hair and his tail swishing on the bed he was sitting on, he sighed deeply and confessed with an embarrassed tone.

“I can’t read.”


	11. Necessary Sacrifices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While the girls help Zanthus with his embarrassing secret, Adam finally finds a lead that'll help him find Blake. But when he finds the way would cost him something dear, he has to weigh up his love for Blake and the love for his possession.

“I can’t read.”

Everyone around Zanthus stared at him blankly. He could only sit there, looking away in embarrassment with his cheeks flushed red. No one said anything. They couldn’t, with the shock of what they were told sitting heavily over all of them. 

Finally, Eirian blurted out the question on all of their minds. “Why?”

“Why?” Zanthus repeated with a harsh tone. “‘Cause no one bothered to teach me! We were too busy avoiding loan sharks and trying to find food for dinner that night. Besides…”

His ears lowered with his face crestfallen. Tired, he could only sigh quietly. “It’s not like anyone cared that a lil’ Faunus boy couldn’t read. I could fight, and I could steal. Everything else was just unnecessary.”

“They wouldn’t exactly care if a cage fighter couldn’t read so long as he was bringing coin in.” Adam pointed out.

“Cage... fighter?” Eirian was shocked to hear that, turning to Zanthus with hands held tightly to her chest. 

The already cold air in the room dropped even more. Glancing over to Zanthus, both he and Adam shared a look, neither of them knowing quite what to say with some of the truth out in the open. Still, Adam didn’t say anything. It wasn’t his place to. 

Thankfully, Zanthus explained patiently. “You know that I was already homeless.”

“Yeah, you told us over breakfast the first day of school.” Eirian nodded.

“Well… I wound up in Haven after running away, and got scooped up by some people there. Ringleaders.”

“I heard… some things about them.” Even Eirian had heard of the underground fighting rings. It didn’t surprise Adam, given how infamous they were to Faunus and humans everywhere in Remnant. 

As she said that, Zanthus seemed more curious. “How much do you know, exactly?” 

“Ummm… Only, like, the whole Faunus fighting thing. A lot of Faunus that came to Menagerie either knew  _ of  _ it or actually fought in them.” She paused for a moment, her hand gripping the sleeve of her blazer. “My dad talked to a few of them whenever he could.”

“Yeah, well, everything you heard is true, and that’s only from Faunus that made it out of there. I know I barely did.”

“How’d you even escape?” Adam asked.

He didn’t answer. In fact, he seemed as dumbfounded as the rest of his team, sitting there on his bed with his eyes falling to the floor. Eyebrows furrowed as he thought hard on the question. When he finally answered Adam’s question, it was slow and unsure. “I… don’t remember.”

“That’s a pretty big thing to forget.” Adam pointed out, unable to stop the worry from settling in his gut. 

He expected a quip back. Yet, all he was given in return was fleeting glances at the sight of Zanthus sitting there, deep in thought as he wracked his brain. No one seemed happy at all after the short conversation.

So, it was a God send when Eirian piped up again, adopting her usual chipper self with a smile. “I can help.”

“Hmm?” Zantus hummed in response. 

“With reading! It’s never too late to start learning something new!” She gestured to Ruri. “Ruri’s been teaching me MSL lately.”

The silent girl gave a little nod as her answer for the conversation. 

“I don’t wanna be a bother.” Zanthus politely declined, scratching the side of his neck. “On top of our assignments, the practical lessons, and trying to learn MSL for Ruri, you might not have the time needed. I don’t want you overworking yourself.”

Eirian shrugged at that. “You can’t pass our classes if you can’t read.”

“And you can’t expect us to write your assignments for you for four years.” Adam added.

They had him there. With three against one, he couldn’t put up much of a convincing argument, only able to concede solemnly. “Alright. You got me there.”

“Awesome!” Eirian squealed, jumping in place with hands clapping together. “Since it’s the weekend, we can do a group study session! Oh, I’m so excited!”

“To… study?” Adam and Zanthus spoke in unison.

“I love learning! Admittedly, I haven’t started the second assignment for Law, but I’ll get to that.” She waved her hand nonchalantly.

“You failed your last one. Get to studying.” Adam ordered, staring at her with an annoyed glare.

Meeting his gaze, she stood there nervously, only able to smile forcefully as she joked his anger off. “I’m just not a law kinda girl! Besides, our teammate needs my help! I wouldn’t be a good Huntress if I didn’t help those in need!”

“Please don’t make me off as a damsel in distress.” Zanthus complained, embarrassment clear on his tanned face. 

The energetic girl laughed nervously at that. While she was busy spewing apologies to her friend, Adam thought deeply on her offer. Working as a team would get their work done quicker, but with the weekend upon them, he had other things that he had to do. He wouldn’t have another chance for a while if the workload continued at the rate it did.

“You three will have to go and study without me.” All of them turned to Adam when she said that. 

“Huh?” Zanthus piped up, his cheeks spread out with Eirian pinching them. “You don’t exactly work well with us anyway. What could you possibly need to do that means you can’t study?”

“It’s… just something I have to do. I’ll be back tonight.”

“Anything we can help with?” Eirian asked.

Always so quick to offer a helping hand. 

Still, Adam didn’t wish anyone to be involved in his business, especially Eirian. If they found out who he was, or what he had done, he doesn’t know how they would ever recover from it. He didn’t know if he could. 

“No.” He quickly rejected with a shake of his head. “I don’t need anyone’s help with this. I can do it on my own.”

Zanthus spoke quickly. “Adam-”

“Just leave me to do it. I won’t be gone for long.” 

They didn’t try to argue further. Deep down, they knew it was futile to stop Adam when he was focused on something, leaving him to get changed into his casual wear for the trip down to the city. From behind him, he heard as Eirian picked the books up that she dropped on the floor, moving over to Zanthus’ bed while explaining brightly. 

“Okay, we can start with the alphabet. How good’s your writing?”

“I can write my name, and I think I’m pretty good at numbers.”

“Great! Any progress is good!” She was so enthusiastic, never having a bad thing to say even with Zanthus less than thrilled with his weaknesses. 

Fiddling with the ring on his finger, Adam glanced over his shoulder at them, sneaking a quick look with the two sitting comfortably on Zanthus’ bed. Ruri had joined them, sitting on the other side of her male teammate. Since she couldn’t speak, she was mostly there for support, watching over Eirian’s teachings with an intense stare. She was certainly copying Professor Goodwitch’s mannerisms.

Completely changed, he slipped out of the dorm room quickly. He didn’t bother with goodbyes. Thankfully, his teammates didn’t seem to notice, too entrenched in their work to notice their leader disappearing into the hallway.

He had to be quick. Rushing through the hallways, he knew that if he was too slow, he could miss the ship that took students down to the city below. It wasn’t the only ship that day, but waiting for the next one would waste time.

Time that he needed to look for Blake.

The afternoon sun was warm on his shoulders as he stepped outside. Summer was almost upon them, the end of May approaching fast with students taking the opportunity they had to enjoy the last days of Spring. 

Gathered around in tight groups of friends, they were happily relaxing in the pleasant weather, some sitting under the cherry trees that Beacon had no doubt imported from Mistral. Pink petals drifted in the breeze. Carried along, they floated by Adam, one landing in his outstretched hand gently. It felt so soft to the touch. He had missed seeing the blossoms bloom back in Mistral, unable to remember the last time he had even been there to see them.

Fond memories came back. The feeling of Hajimu’s hand in his, how she guided him and Blake around the forests of cherry blossoms, showing them the beauty of life as well as the harsh realities they had to face.

Happiness faded to grief. It wasn’t anger or hatred that pushed him, it was sadness, an empty void in the pit of his stomach that remained even when he crushed the blossom petal in his hand. Dropping the mangled remains to the ground, he went on his way, ignoring the trees around him.

To his relief, he made it in time. The ship sat there on the landing pad, perfectly still while students that wanted to go down to the city piled inside. Quickly, he slipped in with the groups, boarding the stationary ship.

While he stood by the window, watching the school outside, he noticed some stragglers rushing to board the ship just before take off. One in particular caught his attention. A chubby boy running as fast as he could, sweat rolling down his tanned face as he tried his hardest to catch up with the others. 

Around him, Adam could hear snickering, glancing over to see a few students watching the poor boy with cruel smirks on their faces. Their snickering turned to full blown laughter when the kid tripped over. What was worse was that the students that passed him did nothing, not even sparing a glance as they tried to make it to the ship before take off. 

That was enough to have Adam barge past. He didn’t even know why he moved, but before he could give it any proper thought, he was already off the ship and storming over to the stunned student. If no one would help, he would do it.

When he approached the other boy, he could see the pink hair shining in the sunlight. Clearly a human, thoughts of turning back around and getting back on the ship crossed his mind, but Adam tried his best to ignore it. It wasn’t an act of friendship. If he wanted to do better, to be better, he could do well in extending some decency to people. At least, that’s what Zanthus would preach to him.

With an annoyed sigh, he reached his hand out. “Need some help?”

Big, round eyes looked up at him. For a moment, he was taken aback, mesmerized with the colour in them. Like molten silver coins, that blue tint to them, they almost sparkled in the sunlight, and Adam had to drag his attention back to the present when the boy took his hand.

“Thanks.” He muttered gratefully, pulling himself back to his feet.

With the person helped and Adam’s good deed for the day done, he turned around to get back on the slip, only to find it having taken off while he was distracted. “Shit.”

“I’m sorry.” The boy apologised profusely. “I didn’t mean for you to miss the ship down.”

Stay calm, Adam. Remember your karma. 

Teeth gritting together harshly, he had to keep a tight rein on his temper, and even then there was still a snappish tone to his voice when he replied. “Guess I’ll have to wait for the next one.”

“On the bright side, it shouldn’t take too long.”

He looked back at the boy with an intense glare. After dealing with Gustave that day, and the painful reminders of his biological mother, he was  _ not  _ in the mood to deal with any more grievances.

The student seemed to notice his annoyance and looked away, stammering when he introduced himself. “I’m Steven, by the way. Steven Rosewater.”

Adam stared down at his outstretched hand. After a few uncomfortable seconds passed by, Steven took the incentive and lowered it again, visibly disappointed that Adam didn’t want to shake his hand.

Still, he wasn’t angry with the other’s behaviour, rather warmly offering in a chipper tone. “Since I caused you to miss the ship this round, I can wait for the next one with you. Time flies by when you’re with other people.”

“I find that it drags.” Adam shot back.

With his back turned, he walked over to a bench near the landing pad. Those that were unfortunate enough to also miss the ship waited around there, some sitting on the floor next to the benches while they chatted away in their groups. None paid any attention when he took a free bench and sat down silently.

Any chance to sit there in peace was shattered when Steven sat down next to him. Adam didn’t say anything. He wanted to, but he bit his tongue and focused on the chiseled stone under his feet. Small cracks in the stonework, a few plants managed to wriggle their way to freedom, bathing in the sunlight with crisp green leaves swaying in the breeze.

The mutual silence broke when Steven piped up. “I’ve heard quite a few things about you.”

“That so.” Adam replied sharply. 

“Yep. Made quite an impression around the Academy, especially your fights with Gustave Rouge.” Steven sniffed, scratching the bridge of his nose. “I hope he wasn’t too horrible. His views on the Faunus are…”

“Racist?”

“... _ Outdated. _ ” That was an understatement. 

Adam hummed at that. Small talk still didn’t come naturally to him, so he just let Steven carry on with a friendly tone. “Not many people think that way here in Beacon. Headmaster Ozpin had made great strides to close the gap between humans and Faunus.”

“It’s not enough if there’s still students here that see us as glorified animals.” Adam’s voice dropped to a hiss.

“True, but you can’t deny the progress.”

“I’m not interested in progress, and I’m not interested in listening to a human try and explain to me how it’s really good for the Faunus in Beacon.” He turned to glare at Steven with his lips pulled down into a deep frown. “I just wanna wait for the next ship. Not discuss racial tensions with someone I don’t even know.”

“Okay. Sorry.”

Embarrassed, he sat there next to Adam quietly, twiddling with his thumbs while the latter waited patiently for the next ship to come. The silence was much appreciated. Regardless of what those around him thought, Adam wasn’t one to constantly go on about Faunus issues, even he needed a break from time to time so he could just enjoy the afternoon.

The silence unfortunately didn’t last long when Steven inquired further. “You know, you’re not so bad in person.”

“What’d you mean by that?”

“I’m not trying to be rude.” The snappy tone in Adam’s voice had Steven quickly clear the air. “It’s just that a lot of students don’t think particularly fond things of you. With your temper, the incidents with Gustave, he has a way of twisting things. Make you seem like a…”

“A beast? Heard that one before.”

“I don’t think that, though.” Steven sure was quick to make sure Adam didn’t blame him. 

“I wouldn’t think so, since you wouldn’t sit with me if you did.” Adam pointed out curtly, looking away with a serious expression. Spreading rumours was such a childish tactic, but he would be lying if he said it didn’t sting knowing what people think about him. 

“I think he’s still sore after your lesson with Professor Tabi.” Steven theorised, a finger curled around his pudgy chin.

With a quick glance over, Adam couldn’t stop the curiosity as he asked. “You were there?”

“Oh no, I’m a second year.” So that’s why he didn’t see Steven in any lessons. “A few of my friends had to retake Professor Tabi’s classes after failing their first year. They saw you and Gustave, and what happened after.”

“Did… they hear what he said?”

“No. They only knew that you looked  _ really  _ angry. Why? What did Gustave say?”

“Nothing.” Adam answered quickly, turning away again. “Just forget it.”

Steven didn’t push further. Dropping it like Adam asked, he sat there peacefully, enjoying the blossom petals that floated past in the breeze. Gently, he reached out for one. As it landed in his large hand, he stared down at it, amazed by the simple beauty of it all.

“I always loved Spring. It’s a shame it ends so quickly.”

Adam shrugged at that. “It’s alright.”

“Still, it’s a nice day. Why aren’t your team here to enjoy it with you?” Steven looked over curiously. “Most of the time, teams made here stick together even after school hours. Thought they’d at least come to the city with you.”

“I asked them to stay behind. I got stuff to do in the city, and I don’t need people around to mess things up.”

“Hmmm. What is it, anyway?”

“It’s about nunya.”

“Nunya?”

“Nunya business.” Steven frowned at that.

“I’m just saying, working alone is necessary sometimes, but maybe your friends could offer a new view on things. Something you didn’t notice before?” He pointed out. 

It was something to think about. Adam had never really thought about it, and there was still a part of him that rejected the suggestion violently. Yet he feared that deep down, he couldn’t do it alone, having spent the weeks before coming to Beacon searching its city from top to bottom. There were too many lairs, too many nooks and crannies that Blake could slip away in, if she was even in the city at all.

There was no way he could search the entirety of the city by himself. There had to be people that could help. Those who knew everything about the city, who’s information could be given for a price. Adam didn’t know where such people would lurk.

But there was one person he knew who understood the underground networks well.

Suddenly, Steven’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. “Oh, the next ship is here.”

Lifting his head, Adam noticed the familiar ship slowly landing on the pad. Loud engines blowing dust and debris everywhere, the hot air reached the nearby students as some covered their faces, protecting themselves from inhaling the dust. 

As it landed properly on the stone pad, the engines whirled down to a quiet whine, and the doors keeping its passengers inside opened with a loud gush of air. Gears spinning loudly, those that were aboard the ship walked down the sloped walkway slowly, chatting away about what they had gotten while in the city. As they got off, those that were waiting walked aboard, eager to spend the little time they had enjoying the city below their Academy. 

Finally aboard, Adam took his usual spot by the window, leaning against the spotless glass while staring out blankly. He wasn’t paying attention to anything in particular. Rather, he drifted off, listening to the soft whirring of the ship’s engines as it stayed stationary. 

Steven seemed to take the incentive and leave him alone. Blending in with the groups of students all gathered together, Adam couldn’t spot him if he tried, though he was too busy drifting away into his thoughts to pay any attention. Honestly, he was quieter than others, so Adam wouldn’t have noticed him even if he was right in front of the Faunus. 

As the last remaining students walked aboard, the doors closed tightly shut behind them. Engines fired to life, and with a lurch inside the ship where they stood, it took off into the skies. 

Low hanging clouds drifted by. White fluff that covered some of the city down below, Adam watched them float through the skies. Only for a while, as soon enough the ship began to dip underneath them, flying down to the giant city that thrived around Beacon’s cliffs. 

With the students having already seen the city before, spending over a month now at the Academy, any awe they felt had surely diminished. Rather, they stood around, waiting for the ship to land so they could go and explore to their hearts’ content. Slowly but surely, the pavements down below came closer. 

As soon as they landed, everyone was practically clawing at the door, trying their hardest to get out and about. All save for Adam. While he waited near the back of the group, keeping some distance from all the others, he heard a voice speaking up near him. “Hey.”

Looking over, he saw Steven approaching him. “What?”

“I just wanted to say thanks, by the way. For helping me. I appreciate it.” He replied genuinely.

“Yeah, well, I guess someone had to.” Adam still wasn’t used to receiving gratitude.

Steven smiled warmly. At that moment, the sound of the doors opening behind them caught Adam’s attention, the teenager turning around to see the other students disembarking the ship. Quietly, he followed after them, stepping into the sun with a hand shading his sensitive eye. 

The city. Countless citizens wandering the streets, enjoying the good weather and the time off work or school. 

With Steven walking beside him, Adam was quick to say his goodbyes. “I gotta go.”

“No problem. Take care, Adam.”

And with that, Steven disappeared in the crowds. Left alone, Adam stood there momentarily, thinking deeply as his hand messed with the ring around his finger. Steven’s words stuck with him. Who knew a human had good advice?

Inhaling deeply, he sighed and shoved his hand in his pants pocket. After a moment of rummaging through, he pulled out his scroll and opened it, watching the blue screen lit up with his ID and name flashing across. After a moment of booting up, the main screen popped up, along with all the contacts that he had.

There weren't many. Unlike Eirian and Ruri, who had put in the numbers of their family and others in Beacon, Adam only had the numbers of his team on it, as well as the compulsory numbers of the teachers in case of an emergency. 

Tapping the icon of the one he needed, he put the scroll to his ear and waited patiently as it rang. Slowly, he started walking through the street, trying to keep away from intruding ears while muttering to himself. “Come on… answer your damn scroll.”

Finally, Zanthus answered the call. “What’s up?”

“Hey… it’s me.”

“Yeah, I know? It shows your name when you call.”

A nervous chuckle managed to escape Adam’s chest. Coughing to hide it, he got straight to the point. “Are the others with you?”

“Eirian just went out to get a book she forgot from the library. Ruri’s here, though.” Zanthus paused for a moment, answering with a suspicious tone. “Why?”

“I’m… gonna need some advice.”

“Okay…” 

“If I needed to find out something, or rather, about someone, where do I get that info from?” Adam chose his words carefully.

There was a moment of silence. At first, Adam thought that the call had disconnected, only for Zanthus to pipe up again. “Depends on who you’re looking for. What’re you getting up to?”

“It’s not important.”

“Well, there’s no real rush for me to help if it’s not important.” Adam’s teeth gritted together at that, only for Zanthus to add in a more worried tone. “This is serious, Adam. You don’t want to get mixed up with these kinds of people.”

“It’s my sister.” The truth came blurting out. Adam couldn’t stop it, only able to stand there with bated breath as Zanthus fell silent again.

“...What?”

Well, there was no turning back now. The whole truth didn’t need to be told. Carefully, Adam decided on what to say, replying with a tired sigh. “She’s the one I’ve been looking for ever since I came to Beacon City. We got separated a couple months back and I… I just need to find her.”

“You think she’s here in the city?” Zanthus sounded particularly tender there.

“I hope she is.”

Exhaling deeply into the scroll, Zanthus dropped his voice to a mutter. “I know of someone.”

“Really?” Adam couldn’t stop the flicker of hope in his gut. 

“I never met him in person, but he used to work with the Spiders in Haven. You know, the group of thugs that deal in secret information?” 

“I know of them, yeah.” Adam never met them, but there was no one in Mistral who didn’t know of the Spiders.

“Guy’s name is Hei Xiong. Goes by Junior. Big guy, beard, likes suits.” Zanthus revealed. “He runs the club on the main street leading outta Mistral Town. Near the B6 highway. He likes to tend the bar during the day shift, before things tend to get too crazy.”

“I know where that is. Any advice?” 

“He won’t straight up admit to running the most infamous information ring. You wanna get what you want? Play the game, but don’t give anything until you find out what you need for your sister.” He explained.

That sounded ominous. Still, Adam had to do it. He had to find Blake.

“Alright. Thanks, Zanthus.”

“No problem. Good luck.” The phone call ended there. 

Listening to the dial tone for a few seconds, Adam lowered the scroll and ended the call, staring down at Zanthus’ portrait silently. With the scroll screen turning off and the scroll collapsing into its compact form, he slipped it back into his pocket. “I hope your advice works, Zanthus.”

He couldn’t help the worried gnawing in his stomach. Yet, he pushed it away, focusing on why he was doing it as he followed Zanthus’ vague directions towards the club. 

Beacon City was a big place, with many roads and highways that sprawled everywhere. Mistral Town alone had over a dozen main roads going in and out. As he wandered down the sidewalk by the road, he looked up at the street signs, reading over the numerous names professionally etched into the metal sheet. 

B6. One of the biggest highways in the city, it spun around the buildings with elevated highways built above the streets, holographic barriers stopping any vehicles from running straight off the overpass and into the streets below. 

In the distance, he could see the gold and red decorations that were hung in the streets of Mistral Town. A giant gate looming over the roads leading in and out, it was impossible to miss that section of the city, especially with the smell of food drifting down wind into the neighbouring parts of the city. 

And there, sitting on the road near the Mistral influenced part of the city, Junior’s club. It certainly looked like other typical clubs in the rest of Beacon City. Neon lights turned off for the day, the doors were already open for clubbers who were already funneling in from the street.

As he got closer, he could certainly see the more Mistrali aesthetic that were decorated outside of the club. Small red lanterns hanging around, ready to celebrate the spring festivals that were common in the mainland of Anima. He couldn’t read the characters decorating them. They were very similar to the characters used in Northern Mistral, but tweaked. Pretty common in colonies and settlements established outside of the kingdom.

Slipping in with the crowd, the inside of the club was certainly modern. A glass dance floor that shifted colours with the beat of the music, people were already dancing away, enjoying the weekend amongst friends. Music blared in his ears. Loud ringing, he grimaced to himself, already feeling a headache coming on as he walked down the long staircase that led to the dance floor.

All around, he could see people lurking in the background. All of them dressed in smart suits with red accents, their stares hidden behind dark sunglasses. They weren't like the party goers who were too busy dancing together.

Pushing past a couple of intoxicated girls, he looked around for Junior. What little information Zanthus gave him was useful at that moment. 

Suddenly, someone caught his attention. A man stood behind the bar. Dressed in the smart suit like many of the other guys were, his red tie stark against his white dress shirt. Thick beard, tall stature, he stood there with broad shoulders as he cleaned a shot glass meticulously. 

That had to be the guy.

Adam approached him with confidence in his stride. Even if he felt the wariness creeping up, not having his weapon on him since it was prohibited to brandish weapons inside the city’s walls, he had enough confidence in himself to get out of a fight before it got too ugly. Besides, no criminal worth his salt would commit a crime in front of countless witnesses.

Stopping at the bar, he stared up at the man as he piped up. “You Hei Xiong?”

“Depends on who’s asking.” He shot back, eyes shooting up from the glass in his hands. “Aren’t you a lil’ young to be here, kid?”

“I’m eighteen.”

“Got ID to prove it? Otherwise I’m gonna have to ask you to leave.”

Grunting in annoyance, Adam pulled out his scroll and flashed the ID at him. Junior leaned forward, taking a moment to study the scroll before humming. “What’s a Beacon student doing here? Wanna relax after a hard day of school, kid?”

“Word on the street is that you may be able to help me find something.”

“Lots of people talk. Doesn’t mean they’re right.” Junior put the glass down, giving Adam his full attention. “What’d someone your age need help finding, anyway? Lost a pet?”

Adam’s stare turned heated for a moment. Forcing himself to calm down, he shot back sharply. “It’s a person. A friend of mine said you knew everything that happens in this city.”

“Did your friend also mention that I don’t work for free? Or for the Academy?” Junior mentioned. “Soon as I start bringing Beacon into my business, the Headmaster will shut me down faster than you’d believe.”

“So the fact you’re helping me doesn’t need to be made public.”

That caught Junior’s attention. “What’d you mean?”

“The person I need to find isn’t affiliated with Beacon or the city. You look into it, and leave messages for me. I never set foot in here again, no one ties me to you, and you’re free to carry on with your business.” Adam explained, a small smirk on his face when he saw Junior paying full attention. “As far as everyone knows, I’m here to simply enjoy my weekend off.”

“Well then…” Junior poured something in the shot glass he was cleaning and pushed it towards him. “Might wanna play the part of enjoying yourself.”

He stared down at the clear alcohol in front of him. Whatever it was, the mere smell of it stung his nose and made his throat burn in preparation. He didn’t even drink. The taste and the sting made it completely unenjoyable for the Faunus, on top of the alcohol itself upsetting his stomach.

Still, he took the shot glass and gestured in thanks to Junior, tipping his head back as he downed it in one.

It  _ burned _ . Like fire all the way down his throat, Adam coughed and grimaced at the sensation, listening as Junior piped up while leaning against the bar. “So, who’s this person you lookin’ for?”

“A girl.” He spotted Junior’s shift in expression at that. “Not like that. She’s family, and I think she’s somewhere in the city.”

“You got any info? Like a picture?”

“Actually…” He slipped his hand into his back pocket, pulling out the only picture he had left of him and Blake. 

As he showed it to Junior, the latter studied it closely, his thick eyebrows furrowing in concentration before he pointed out. “I’ve seen her before.”

“You have?” That hope clutched onto his heart tightly.

“Not here. Back in Mistral, a good few years ago. She was still a little kid back then.” His expression turned suspicious. “What’re you two doing in Beacon?”

“You know I’m a student.”

“And her?” He pointed down at the photo.

Adam didn’t answer. His lack of a response did little to win his case, Junior piping up in a defensive tone. “You two better not have any connection to the White Fang.”

“We don’t. I told you, I’m here to learn at Beacon Academy, and she’s here somewhere. I just need you to find her.” He stood his ground. Even with Junior rightfully guessing his affiliation with the White Fang, he had to keep the lie up. It wasn’t a complete lie. He really wasn’t with the White Fang anymore.

Thankfully, Junior seemed to take his word for it. “It’ll take a while. You’re not the only client I got, but I’ll let you know if I find something. I expect my cut upfront.”

“You get it if you find something useful.”

“I’ve been playing this game long before you were around, kid.” Junior laughed. “Cough it up, or they’ll make you give it up.”

He gestured over to a secluded part of the club. Dark and empty, Adam could easily make out two girls standing there, watching closely. Despite their identical appearances, their feathered costumes were completely different colours. Stark red and pure white. They certainly didn’t look like the civilians who wandered around them, completely unaware of the conversation happening. 

How long had they been watching him? The lack of his weapon never felt so apparent to Adam than that moment, only able to look back at Junior as he pushed. “So?”

“Look, I don’t exactly have much on me.” Adam snapped back. “I’m a student who was homeless before. I’m not rolling in it at the moment.”

“What about that?” 

He pointed at the ring on Adam’s finger. He froze, looking down at his possession with a worried look. It was a gift. The only thing he had left from Hajimu, and the idea of giving it away made him sick to the stomach. But if it meant he could find Blake, he had to be willing to give up anything. 

So, he pulled it off dejectedly and dropped it in Junior’s awaiting hand. 

Accepting it, he pocketed the ring with a smirk. “That’ll pay off your tab. I’ll let you know when I find something.”

Adam didn’t say anything. Turning around, he left the bar and wandered back outside in a grey haze. The lifted weight from his finger was sorely missed. Impossible to ignore, he found himself glancing down at it, unable to believe that he gave away his mother’s ring just on the chance he could find Blake.

Part of him rationalised it. His mistakes parted them in the first place, he had to pay the price for it. But the pain still stung deeply. He’d have to pray for forgiveness when he next had the chance.

As he stood on the sidewalk, his scroll buzzed loudly, pulling his attention from his missed possession down to his pocket. Pulling the scroll out, he stared down at the caller ID with narrowed eyes.

Guess he had to answer it. Exhaling softly, he pressed the answer button and held the scroll to his ear. “Hello?”

“Hey, Adam.” Zanthus’ voice crackled. “Just checking up. You found the place I told you about?”

“Yep. I got it all sorted out.” At the cost of a family ring, his subconscious reminded him. 

“Great. You didn’t get caught up, did you?”

“No. I’m heading back now.”

“Zanthus, is he near Mistral Town?! Can he grab some jiaozi?!” Eirian’s voice shouted in the background. It was impossible to miss her, Adam thought to himself. 

“I don’t exactly have the money for that.” He pointed out.

Zanthus chuckled at that, seemingly turning his attention to Eirian. “You gotta wait until your dad sends you that money he promised for your birthday. That can be your jiaozi money.”

“Not nice!”

“I know. I’m not nice.” Amused, he turned back to Adam with a more serious tone. “Come back quickly. You can talk to me when you get here.”

“...Alright.” He trusted Zanthus enough to let him know how it went. Blake was still a guarded secret, something he wasn’t ready yet, but the meeting between him and Junior was something he needed to get off his chest.

Ending the call there, he pocketed his scroll and walked down the street, eager to get back to the dorms and forget about what he had just forfeited in his desperate search.

With the sun starting to dip behind the horizon, the street light of the city flickered on, bathing the streets in a blue light that helped the citizens find their way home. The light was comforting to those. Helping them avoid the dark alleyways and seedy buildings that hid away criminals and the like, they didn’t hide away everything.

While Adam made his way back to the ship dock to catch one of the last ships heading up the cliff, he didn’t notice a single mahogany coloured feather floating to the ground.

Up above, hidden away in the darkness of the incoming night, a long figure sat on the edge of a tall building. Metal feet clinked against the brickwork as she waved her legs. Talons flexing in and out of their compartments, she stretched her arms up high, letting out a yawn before mumbling. “We’ve been tailing him for weeks. You’d think the lil’ weirdo would find his fucking sister by now.”

“Blake can disappear when she wants to.” A gruff voice chastised beside her. “Besides, we’re running outta leads, and Junior doesn’t work with the White Fang.”

“Asshole. Murderers and robbers are a-okay, but he draws the line at a lil’ terrorism. I’m telling you, it’s the racism.”

“He is from Mistral.”

“Hey, hey, you’re from Mistral. Does that make you a racist?”

“Iya, I swear to the Gods, I will  _ strangle  _ you with my bare hands.” Banesaw growled loudly, standing near the edge of the building as he watched Adam through a pair of binoculars.

“Don’t you mean your  _ bear  _ hands?” Iya snickered, pretending to scratch at him with a wavy smile. “Get it? ‘Cause you’re a bear?”

He groaned to himself. “Why am I stuck with you again?”

“Cause, fatass, we’ve established this. You’re the sour honeypot who sucks up to our dear leader, and I’m the one that does what needs to be done.” She explained, slapping Banesaw in the shoulder with the back of her hand. “It’s a system! If I actually gave a fuck about leadership, we could lead the White Fang into a brighter future!”

“You really think that?” Banesaw scoffed.

“Okay, either that or we burn it to the ground.” 

Leaning back with her hands pressed against the rough ground, she pursed her lips in thought while her wings fluttered in the wind. “I’ve been thinking-”

“You can do that? I thought I smelt burning.”

“Shut it. What’s stopping us from just taking Adam out? I could nabbed him before he even reached Beacon, and now we gotta play fucking hide and seek with the whole Academy! If Ozpin finds out we’re here-”

“He’s not going to.”

“ _ If  _ he does.” Iya pressed, looking serious for a moment. “We’ll be in the shits. Frosty the fucking Time Wizard and his gaggle of dick twitches got this place on lockdown. We can’t call for backup, and if other criminals find out we’re here too,  _ especially  _ Torchwick? What’s the plan?”

“Don’t worry about Torchwick. He’s got bigger fish to fry outside of a few Faunus that are going after someone he’s not even interested in.”

“He’ll be interested when he finds a couple of Faunus on his turf. Dude has a hate boner for us, you know it, I know it, Ozpin’s grey pubes know it.”

“Why’d you gotta be so vulgar all the time?”

Iya ignored his question. “I’m just saying that Kaa’s got a bit of a soft spot for the kid. She’ll have Blake’s hide ripped from her back and flaunted as our new fucking flag, but we can’t touch one hair on Adam’s head? I say it’s favoritism.”

“I say shut up. We don’t question what Leader Naga orders us to do.”

“Sounds like you wanna fuck her, if I’m being honest.” She dodged his attempt to grab her throat. “Hey, hey! We’re partners! We can be honest with each other! I’ll go first, I’ll go first.”

She cleared her throat. “I wanna fuck Kaa too. I also wanna fuck you, Sienna, even James Ironwood could get a slice if he asked nicely.”

“You’re disgusting.”

“No, no, I’m  _ free. _ ” She stressed that last word. “Living in Atlesian society is boring. You gotta get out, stretch your wings and your legs. Metaphorically speaking.”

She tapped the toe of her prosthetic foot against the ground. 

Banesaw didn’t grace her with an answer, turning his attention back to watching Adam, he couldn’t stop Iya from carrying on. “So what’d you like? Girls? Boys? … Hermaphrodites?”

“No one.”

“You hurt my feelings. So you wouldn’t at least taste it before having the main course?” 

“No.”

“Aight, aight.” She raised her hands in surrender. “I’m a lotta things, but I respect a man’s wishes. Saves more for me anyway.”

“Knock yourself out.” Banesaw replied dryly.

With that, they fell silent. For a while. Before long, Iya slumped down in her previous spot over the side of the building and rested her chin in her hands, watching the streets below while Banesaw kept an eye out.

Eventually, he lowered the binoculars and sighed. “He’s gone back up. Let’s get back before someone sees us.”

“So, what’s the plan?” Iya asked, craning her neck to follow her partner as he got up and started to move away from the edge.

“We wait.” He answered, pausing as he looked over at her. “Junior ain’t gonna find anything for a while. Give him time to turn something up, then we make our move.”

She wasn’t pleased with that. Pouting, she remained silent while Banesaw continued.

“Besides,” he looked up at Beacon Academy, spotting its silhouette in the distance, “victory favours the patient.”


	12. Skin Deep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dejected from his loss, Adam returns to Beacon to lick his wounds. There, he finds his team speaking to someone from Eirian's past, and the revelation is a bitter pill to swallow.

Everyone was waiting when Adam returned. As soon as he came through the door, he found three pairs of eyes immediately focusing on him. 

Both Eirian and Zanthus were sitting on the latter’s bed, surrounded with over a dozen books, while Ruri was comfortable on the floor beside them. Leaning against Adam’s bed, she had a book balanced on her lap. None of them uttered a word. Silent, they instead watched as the door closed behind Adam, the leader of the team standing there with a deep frown.

Zanthus was the first to break the silence. “Well… How’d it go?”

The missing weight on Adam’s finger sat heavily on his mind. As he slipped off his shoes, he confessed softly. “I managed to get it sorted.”

“Zanthus told us you went to town to talk to someone.” Eirian piped up, gesturing to her friend before adding shyly. “Did you have a nice time?”

“Yeah, it was very welcoming.” Adam’s tone turned sarcastic. He didn’t mean it intentionally, but as those words already escaped his lips, he could only stand there as Zanthus’ stare turned heated.

Immediately, he snapped back with a warning. “Adam.”

Their last conversation wasn’t forgotten. As he looked over at the disheartened Eirian, he could only sigh deeply before correcting himself. “I got what I wanted. That's all that matters, anyway.”

Zanthus’ face matched what Adam was feeling. A faint frown on his lips, he quickly got up to his feet and approached Adam, resting a hand on the other’s shoulder while whispering in his ear. “I didn’t tell her the truth. Need some privacy to talk?”

A short nod was the only reply Adam gave. It was all that was needed, with Zanthus nodding back and turning around to Eirian. “We’re just gonna step out for a minute.”

“Alright. I’ll just sort these cards out while you’re gone.” Eirian shrugged nonchalantly, turning her attention to the numerous cards that were scattered on the duvet.

Adam didn’t give them much attention, only able to give a brief glance before Zanthus guided him out of the room. Neither bothered with their shoes. Summer approaching meant warm and dry nights mostly, and with both having dealt with worse cold before, neither were all that bothered by Vale’s temperate nights. 

Silently, he followed after Zanthus as the two teenagers made their way through the dorms. All the bedroom doors were shut, but if Adam listened closely, he could hear calm chatter and laughter from inside. Left unbothered, they continued through the building until they ended up on the rooftop.

Feeling the cool breeze on his exposed skin, Adam rubbed a gloved hand over his shoulder, feeling the soft skin under his calloused thumb. With Zanthus walking a few feet in front of him, the horned Faunus asked calmly. “I appreciate the privacy, but we coulda easily talked about it in the hall.”

“Yeah.” Zanthus agreed, turning around to face Adam with a warm smile. “But it’s a nice night. I find it easier to talk about things while doing stuff I enjoy.”

“And what would that be?”

With just a smirk, Zanthus sat down on the edge of the rooftop and gestured to up above. Following his hand, Adam found himself in awe at the sight of it. 

Dark night skies decorated with thousands of stars. Some little more than tiny dots twinkling, others whole clusters of bright orbs, each and every one of them paling in comparison to the moon. With half of it shattered, the broken fragments drifting in the sky by the fractured moon. White dust trailed after the segments. It was all breathtaking.

Without a second thought, Adam sat down beside Zanthus and confessed. “It’s been a long time since I saw the night sky like this.”

“I always liked stargazing when I was a kid. Helped take your mind off things.” Zanthus replied softly. “I kinda missed it.”

“You’re not the only one.”

Zanthus chuckled at that. A light, airy laugh, it had Adam smiling warmly, enjoying the time between them. It didn’t last for long. With that same smile fading away, he sat there on the edge, his feet kicking through the air while the ground was way below. Peering over it had Adam’s head reeling, the teenager leaning back with that fear sticking in his gut.

“So, you wanna tell me how it really went?” Zanthus finally asked.

A deep exhale was his only response. 

Hands gripping the cool bricks he was sitting on, Adam glanced up at the sky, trying his best to not fiddle with the naked part of his finger where the ring once sat. “I managed to get him to look for my sister. But… I had to give up my ring to do so.”

Raising his hand, he stared down at his ring finger with a guilty look. He couldn’t see Zanthus’ expression, only able to focus on the missing family heirloom until the other’s voice piped up.

“Was it important?”

“It was.” He confessed, lowering his hand once more. “My mom gave it to me. It was a family heirloom, she trusted me with it… and I went and gave it away.”

“I’m sure you did it for a reason. Junior doesn’t work for free, after all.” 

“I know I would give anything to find Blake, but… I don’t know. Feels like I gave away the only thing I had left of my mom’s.” He glanced away while muttering. “Maybe she shoulda given it to her actual daughter…”

“Huh? What’d you mean?”

“She wasn’t my biological mom. The one I told you about. She found me when I came to Mistral after escaping Mantle, took me in, treated me like I was her own son…” 

He could remember that day perfectly. A small, terrified boy being taken into the White Fang, seeing all the new faces through his one good eye, seemingly grabbing the attention of Hajimu and her husband. For once, the feeling of hands on his shoulders didn’t leave him feeling scared and struggling to get away. Warm embraces calmed his nerves, quiet words whispered soothingly, and when she took Adam away, he was welcomed into something he had wanted. Family.

Yet that reminiscing feeling faded to anger, his bitterness and grief coming through as he spat. “And she left all the same.”

“She left you?”

“She did, and so many others.” Knees pulled up to his chest, Adam quickly deflected Zanthus’ worry. “But I don’t care. It’s just one of those things.”

“I… I think that you do. In a way.”

“I  _ don’t  _ care.” Adam insisted.

“Then why were you so upset about losing her ring?” That stunned him.

Sitting there, he stared over at Zanthus with widened eyes, unable to find the words to say with the lump in his throat growing bigger. Mouth drying up, he opened his mouth and closed it multiple times. On the other hand, Zanthus was perfectly calm. Narrow eyes soft and caring, he watched Adam thinking through his conflicting emotions, offering his own words of comfort with a tender tone.

“It’s okay to feel upset over people leaving. It hurts, and I can’t in good conscience tell you to get over something I understand. But…” He sighed with a brief pause. “Pretending that you don’t care, or shoving those emotions deep down, it doesn’t help anyone. I don’t know why she left, but I do know that you still love her.”

“I shouldn’t. I don’t want to.” 

He couldn’t even bring himself to look at Zanthus as he continued. “I want to hate her. I want to hate Blake.”

“Why?”

“So it’s easier to accept that they hate me.” He muttered into his arms. Hands gripping into the fabric of his pants, he could only stare down at the darkness below with his face burning. Flushed, he blinked away the unshed tears that threatened to fall.

The silence was the worst of it all. He could take Zanthus being angry or upset, but seeing him sit there in silence, contemplating what he just said, it made Adam want to get up and run away all over again. 

Finally, Zanthus asked quietly. “What made you think they’d hate you?”

What did he do? The sound of explosions, screaming, the burning sensation across his face, Adam knew exactly what he did to make Blake hate him. He knew what he became to make Hajimu look at him in disgust. Unable to see her son under all the blood that he spilt. 

But he couldn’t say it. Barely a whisper, he answered. “I wasn’t exactly a good person before I came to Beacon. I don’t wanna talk about it.”

For a moment, he feared that Zanthus would be too curious to let it go, preparing himself for the thousand and one questions about what he did before coming to the Academy. But the questions never came. 

Instead, Zanthus hummed. “Okay. We won’t talk about it, then.”

Slowly, Adam turned to look at him, stunned as he continued with a saddened smile. “I gotta say, hearing you talk about Blake today, how you were so worried for her… It made me think. I’d like to know more about her if you want.”

Adam lowered his legs from his chest. As they dangled over the edge, he thought deeply about Zanthus’ request, glancing up at the shattered moon with its pale light illuminating his skin. There was so much he could say. 

“Where’d I even start?” He mused.

“Well, where every story starts.” Zanthus pointed out. “The beginning. What was she like when your mom first brought you into the family?”

“The beginning. Well… I guess Blake was always just Blake. She was always so driven, even when we were kids.” Adam scratched his neck in thought, head tilted to the side as he continued. “My family lived in Asile, and Blake lived there for a lot of her childhood. Her parents always went away for protests. Helping Faunus, protesting the inequality in Mistral, helping other orphans who were in my position.”

“Were they in the White Fang?”

“Once. Before it became what it is now.” He was quick to put any misconceptions to rest about his parents, keeping their true identities to himself. “I wasn’t, and neither was Blake. She wanted to, though. Wanted to leave Menagerie and help the Faunus even when she was just a child. Like the heroes in our legends, she said…”

“Sounds like she had a good heart.”

Adam’s tone turned melancholic as he responded. “She did. I guess once I felt the same, but after the SDC, my mom, everything that happened… I guess I just can’t see it anymore.”

Zanthus seemed downtrodden at that. Listening closely, he said nothing while his friend continued recounting his tale.

“Eventually, Blake and I left Menagerie and our parents. Lived on the road for years, teaching her how to fight and survive. She was a quick learner, and sure enough, she did what she wanted for years.” Adam continued, his voice turning angry as he kept talking. “But life isn’t like her fairytales. After years moving around, fighting, even killing, she didn’t want to do it anymore. Thought that the only way to help the Faunus was to extend a hand to the humans.”

“She wanted peace through different means?” Zanthus seemed to agree with her on that, though that didn’t surprise Adam much.

Trying to omit the train incident, he finished it with a mutter. “We ended up going our separate ways.”

“I thought you guys got split up?”

“I may have explained it in a different way before. Sorry.” He apologised.

While he seemed annoyed with the white lie, Zanthus didn’t seem too bothered and let it go. “So, do you think she’s still out there? Is that why you came to Beacon in the first place?”

“Kinda… It was to find Blake, but I did wanna come to the Academy to be a Huntsman.” He explained. “As to if she’s still out there? I wanna believe she is.”

“You do?”

“I’ve gotta find her. I came here to find her. If she isn’t here, I don’t… I don’t wanna think about it. She has to be in Beacon.” Even with the unrelenting attitude, Adam found himself no longer believing in it one hundred percent. 

Thankfully, Zanthus picked him up with a smile. “If there’s anyone who can find her, I’m sure Junior can. I wouldn’t have recommended him otherwise.”

A hand rested on his shoulder. Glancing over, Adam felt the worry fading slightly with Zanthus smiling. Ears perked up and tail twitching behind him, he seemed completely at ease in the moment, and that helped Adam calm down, if only a little. 

Exhaling softly, he nodded. “Yeah. I guess you’re right.”

Gently, the hand on his shoulder lifted off, returning to Zanthus’ lap while he turned to watch the stars above. Glancing up, Adam joined him as the two sat there in mutual silence. 

With the breeze blowing gently across the rooftop, Adam found himself drawn towards the silhouette of the Headmaster’s tower in the distance. It was too dark to see anything in detail. Dark shadows casted across the entire thing, he noticed a green glow coming from the top, finding himself curious to what was happening over there at the moment. Surely Ozpin would be sleeping given how late it was getting. 

In fact, over the month since he had been at Beacon, Adam hadn’t met the elusive headmaster at all. There had to be a reason. He must’ve been a very busy man. 

The only excuse he could buy, Adam turned his attention away from the tower and thought back to the conversation, unable to shake his mind free of Blake. Talking about her may had brought unwanted memories back, but for the first time in years, he was looking at who Blake was differently. Before he was angry and bitter towards her, but now… he felt different.

It made the way he treated her a bitter pill to swallow.

Desperate to push it down for a while, he broke the silence between him and his friend, turning to face Zanthus while asking curiously. “I’ve been thinking. What was your sister like?”

“My sister?”

“You mentioned her before. I just wanted to know what she was like, since we were just talking about siblings.” Adam shrugged.

Thoughtful, Zanthus glanced down at the hands resting on his lap. “It’s weird. She was still pretty young when I left. But the one thing I’d always remember of Argenta is just how brave she was. Always facing things head on, never letting people push her around. She was only four years younger than me, but I’d gladly say she was the stronger one outta the both of us.”

The way he talked about her captivated Adam. He seemed so relaxed, smiling warmly, but the way his eyes narrowed faintly and his smile turned strained, the other teenager knew that deep down, it hurt. 

“But she was still my little sister. I remember nights where she’d be crying ‘cause she was hungry, or our dad ‘trained’ us too hard and left her with bruises again.” His voice dropped when he added. “At that moment I realised that she was still just a kid. And I… I left her behind. After promising that I would always be there for her.”

“I’m sure you didn’t do it intentionally. Out there with a kid, it’d be hard for anyone to survive, let alone someone barely into their teen years.”

“Maybe. But I still feel like I should’ve tried. Maybe done something other than just leave her. I haven’t forgiven myself for that ever since.” Zanthus confessed, his ears flattening against his head.

There had to be something Adam could say to lift him up. That kind of guilt could eat away at even the strongest wills, something he knew all too well.

“I don’t think sitting here and wishing for things to be different would solve anything. What’s done is done, you can’t change it.” He consoled, gingerly putting a hand on Zanthus’ shoulder. “Just… try to let it go.”

Those piercing eyes met his. Seeing the moonlight reflect in them, how its pale glow highlighted Zanthus’ bronze skin, it had Adam scrambling with his hand shooting back to his lap, only able to splutter out excuses. “Well, that’s what I think, anyway!”

“No, no. You’re right.” Zanthus sighed, running a hand through his thick hair. “I can’t exactly go and take it all back. I wouldn’t even know where to start.”

“You don’t know where she is?”

“No. Family always moved around. I don’t know if they’d still be in Mistral after all these years, or if they ran off to a different continent.” He paused, adding in a more hopeful tone. “She’d be about the same age as I was when I left. Hopefully history repeats itself and she finds herself a better life somewhere else.”

“If she’s anything to how you describe her, I think she would. She sounds like a fighter.”

“Yeah, I guess she had to be.” Zanthus fell silent at that. 

Neither of them spoke after that. Adam didn’t exactly know what to say, finding himself completely out of his comfort zone with his teammate needing comfort. What could he even say at that moment?

He had to say  _ something _ . Yet every time he moved to speak, he felt that same apprehension hold him back, leaving him sitting there like an idiot while Zanthus just stared up at the sky. He didn’t even know if the blonde was simply enjoying the view or focusing on his missing sibling. Either way, he seemed deep in thought, and Adam could only sit there with his company being the one comfort he could offer.

It wasn’t exactly much comfort, he thought to himself. 

Suddenly, Zanthus’ voice caught his attention. “Come on. We better get back inside.”

Turning to face him, he noticed the feline Faunus getting up to his feet, standing away from the edge of the rooftop with his hand stretched out. Without a word, Adam accepted the offer.

He was pulled back up to his feet. Quietly, he followed after Zanthus, going back indoors with only a quick glance to the starry night scenery behind him. It was certainly warmer inside, though. 

Hallway lights turned off, the two teenage boys snuck down the hallways, trying their best not to be too loud and disturb any students sleeping in their doors. It was eerily silent. No sound of chatter or anything like before, it made the entire walk back to their own dorm room unnerving. Adam hadn’t realised how silent the dorms could be until that moment. 

Thankfully, the walk was only a short one. As soon as they reached their door, the familiar sound of Eirian’s voice could be heard from the other side, muffled through the solid oak.

Who was she talking to? The question stuck with Adam, who could only open the door and walk in with a quizzical look. Once inside, he found his question swiftly answered with Eirian sitting on Zanthus’ bed, having not moved from her spot with only neatly stacked cards proving that she actually did something. 

Bare legs crossed, she sat there in her pyjamas, that same blue headband that she always wore for bed pushing her dreads up and out of her face. Ruri next to her, dressed in her own oriental styled pyjamas, they seemed comfortable where they were. As they entered the room, she focused completely on them, a bright smile on her face while she cheerfully pointed out. “You’re back! I’ve been waiting for you guys!”

“Really?” Adam couldn’t stop the confusion in his voice as he replied.

“I got someone I’d like you guys to meet!” She revealed, looking down to her scroll on the bed.

With a raised eyebrow, Adam held back, letting Zanthus walk over to his bed while Eirian introduced him. “Dad, these are my other teammates I’ve been telling you about! Zanthus…”

She gestured to Zanthus. “And Ad- Adam, get over here.”

He didn’t want to. In all honesty, he was ready for bed, but knowing that doing so would upset Eirian, and more importantly Zanthus, he sighed and reluctantly obliged. 

Walking over to the bed, he peered down at the scroll, finding that Eirian was in fact video calling her father rather than simply calling him. The resemblance between him and Eirian was striking. 

His skin even darker than hers, he had the same black hair styled into dreads, sitting on his head with no headband to keep them from hanging in front of his deep purple eyes. A thick beard doing little to hide that wide grin, he was sitting somewhere familiar, the style of the room not resembling anything from Menagerie that Adam knew of.

But that wasn’t the thing he focused on. Out of his head, Adam could see two giant, curved horns that jutted out from the older man’s hair, framing his face with pointed tips sticking outwards. He was a Faunus.

Stunned, he could only stand there while Eirian’s father introduced himself. “Nice to meet you all, finally. My little sweet pea had been talkin’ a storm since she got her scroll.”

“Glad to finally put a face to the name, sir.” Zanthus replied politely.

“Youse can just call me Icheku. Any friend of Eirian is a friend of mine!” He certainly had the same loud energy as his daughter. “I’ve actually been calling to see how your lessons are doing. I hope you’re taking them seriously?”

“Pffft, easy-peasy!” Eirian bragged, shooting a nervous look at her friends that silently begged them not to snitch on her. 

Unfortunately, Zanthus decided to tell the truth. “We’ve been working hard, but Eirian’s been having some trouble focusing on her work and not her…  _ many  _ projects.”

“ _ Traitor. _ ” Eirian hissed at him. 

“Ah, sweet pea, you know you’ve always had trouble focusing on things for long.” Icheku sighed, though he seemed more aware of the fact than disappointed, much to the other students’ surprise.

Flustered, Eirian glanced away while he added. “You’ve gone and forgotten your aids while you were packing. How’re you gonna focus if you don’t have them?”

“...I forgot them.”

“Well, I’m gonna be in Vale sometime in the next few months for a mission. I’ll bring some over, and the things you need for the ceremony.”

“Ceremony?” Zanthus piped up in confusion.

“For my eighteenth!” Eirian explained, cupping her face with her smile widening. “It’s tradition for Faunus from Vikela to celebrate their eighteenth birthday and ascension into adulthood. Usually it’s with food, dance and a lotta drumming, and your parents make you a new bead necklace to symbolise your coming of age!”

“Wasn’t your birthday last month?” Zanthus pointed out.

Before Eirian could say anything, Icheku spoke up in her place. “It’s important to celebrate it around your family and people. Eirian can’t exactly come home, I want her to focus on school, but we can do it when I come over.”

“Yep. Until then, I just gotta wait before I’m an adult.” She added cheerfully.

“So it’s kinda what they do in my mother’s tribe.” Zanthus explained. “Except you’re just given gifts and asked to read tributes to your ancestors.”

Eirian seemed intrigued by that. “Oh, have you had to do that, yet?”

“Well, I’m not eighteen yet, so no.” He paused for a moment. “My birthday’s in…. August.”

“That’s around when Dad’ll come to Beacon!” Eirian quickly turned to her scroll. “Is it alright if we celebrate Zanthus’ birthday too? He’s like family.”

“Son, do you have any parents to make your necklace?” Icheku asked.

A brief silence. Sitting next to Eirian with a grim look, Zanthus could only glance away when he mumbled out a response. “No.”

“Alright. I’ll do it, then.” Icheku flashed him a thumbs up. “If you’re up for it?”

“I’d be honoured to partake, sir.” He gratefully replied, bowing his head

“So polite! I expected it from your little Mistrilian friend, they’re all very fixated on manners up there!” Icheku laughed. It was certainly loud, a booming belly laugh that had Eirian and her friends smiling and laughing along. Save for Adam.

“What about you, Ruri?” Eirian asked, turning to her friend. “When’s your birthday?”

The silent girl signed back. Having no clue what she said, Adam was internally grateful when Eirian replied in surprise. “February? Wow, you really were on the age cusp for this year, huh?”

Ruri frowned in embarrassment at that. Even Adam was surprised with the answer, never thinking Ruri would be the youngest not only in their team, but amongst the youngest in the whole year. Honestly, he would’ve put Eirian as that given her childish enthusiasm.

“Hey, Adam? When’s yours?”

He almost missed that question with how deep he was in his thoughts. Blinking slowly, he looked over to see the rest of his team sitting there patiently, waiting for the answer. For a moment, he wondered if he could get away with declining to answer. A part of him thought against it. 

With a shrug, he answered quickly. “May.”

“You’ve already had it?!” Eirian gasped, waving her arms in frustration. “W-Well, you coulda told us! You shouldn’t be celebrating such an important milestone alone!”

“What’s the big deal? It’s just a birthday.” He didn’t understand why it was so shocking to the others that he didn’t mention it.

“It’s important! You’re officially an adult! Did you even thank your ancestors during it?” Eirian accused him with a pointed finger.

“I don’t follow Vikela tradition. I’m from Mantle, and we didn’t exactly celebrate many birthdays there.”

“Mantle?” Icheku finally piped up, surprised as he confessed. “Eirian’s mother was from Mantle. Used to have all these crazy traditions that she brought over when she moved home with me.”

“Mantle customs and traditions are typically different for humans and Faunus.” Adam pointed out, his arms crossed over his chest. “It ain’t even the same for every human there.”

“Ah, that’s true. Still miss her yule dinners.” He seemed to be mostly reminiscent at that point. With his smile fading slightly, there was a brief flash of grief, before his bright grin came back and the conversation dropped. “It’s getting late over there. You four better get some sleep, you’ll need all the rest you can get to stay on top of those assignments. Trust me.”

That last sentence was spoken with a repressed grimace. Definitely from experience. 

With a short nod, Eirian waved at the scroll. “Okay. Bye-bye, Dad!”

“See you soon, sweet pea.” And with that, the call ended. 

Deactivating her scroll, Eirian placed it on the bookshelf sitting between hers and Zanthus’ beds, getting up to her feet while the others started getting ready for bed. Icheku wasn’t wrong. They’d need to get up early for breakfast anyway, but most of the day would have to be spent cranking out the numerous assignments they were given. 

But something more serious was on Adam’s mind. As he sat there on his bed, leaning against his spread legs, he couldn’t stop himself from staring at Eirian while she moved around their room.

Stopping by their wardrobe, she picked something up that was leaning against it, turning around to Zanthus with a smile. “I’ve managed to fix my guitar while you guys were busy.”

“That fast? Thought you said the thing was bust?”

“No, it’s only the A string that’s still a little outta tune.” She plucked the string to prove a point. “I guess that’s what happens when you make a guitar outta junk you find around the village.”

Getting a better look at it, her description wasn’t exactly wrong. The thing could barely be called a guitar. With screws sticking out of the wooden neck and the body made out of damaged wood, it didn’t look like it made very good music.

Ruri signed something in response. Standing there with guitar in hand, Eirian replied. “No, I don’t want you to spend money on me. I’m happy with this. If the A string just stayed tuned for five minutes…”

She muttered at her possession in a low tone. 

Unable to let the conversation go on about a damaged guitar, Adam let his thoughts be spoken loudly. “When were you gonna tell us?”

“Huh?” Eirian piped up, turning around to face him directly.

“Your dad’s a Faunus. When were we gonna know about that? Or were you just content to keep that a secret for the next four years?” 

“Leave her alone, Adam. Eirian doesn’t have to tell us things that she wants to keep a secret.” Zanthus chimed in.

Annoyed, Adam gestured to the girl with a hand. “Pretty big secret to keep, don’tcha think? This isn’t just some embarrassing nitpick, this is what she is.”

“I guess I just never thought to bring it up.” Eirian confessed quietly.

“And when he eventually came to Beacon to visit? I mean, you don’t exactly look like a Faunus. Why hide such a huge part of yourself from everyone? From your team?”

“‘Cause they’d treat me the same way you’re doing right now.” 

Everyone froze in place. Stunned, all eyes were turned to Eirian, the poor girl standing there with an angry look on her face. Hands gripping tightly on her guitar, she pressed on even with her knowing fear of her leader.

“You have any idea what it’s like for someone like me? My mom was a human and my dad’s a Faunus. Know where a couple like that can live where they aren’t hated by everyone? Nowhere.” She snapped, approaching Adam with narrowed eyes. “If we stayed in Mantle, they would’ve hated me for being a Faunus. If we moved to Menagerie, they would’ve hated me for being a human. Do you get what that’s like? To be hated by everyone no matter where you go?”

He didn’t say anything, only able to sit there while she continued. “You were hated by humans in Mantle but you at least had other Faunus to call family. I didn’t even have  _ that.  _ Every time. Every single time I was called a half breed, a mutt, and told to stay away, that I wasn’t welcome whether it was a Faunus or a human saying those words. It didn’t hurt any different no matter who said it!”

“Eirian…” Zanthus tried to jump in, hand stretched out to take hers, only for her to snatch it away.

“No!” She shouted. “And do you know the worst part? People accepted me only as an exception to my kind. They do exactly what you’ve done, treat me differently when they think I’m either a human or a Faunus. But I’m both! And I’m proud to say that I’m both! So stop pushing me around and stop wishing I was gone just because you think I’m a human!”

“I…” Adam found himself lost for words.

Everyone was rightfully shocked at the outburst. When the anger faded, even Eirian herself was shocked that she lost control so quickly, only able to glance over at her pillow before adding. “If you don’t want to be my friend, then fine. But please… don’t accept me now only because you found out I’m a Faunus.”

With that, she retreated to her bed, ignoring Zanthus’ attempts to comfort her. Left to sit there on the bed, he shared a look with Adam. The outburst had the most effect on him. Only able to sit there and stare back at Zanthus, he had no words to say, only able to shake his head and roll over on his bed. 

Not bothering with his pyjamas, he listened while the rest of his team carried on with their routines before bed. 

Eventually, the lights were turned off, leaving the room plunged in darkness, save for the faint light glowing through the window. While the others seemingly drifted off to sleep, Adam found himself wide awake against. He couldn’t even try to sleep with all the thoughts swirling in his head. 

It was complicated. Any animosity he felt towards Eirian was because she was human, or at least he  _ thought  _ she was human, but her confession left him reflecting on that. There was no doubt in his mind that he preferred the company of his own people to humans, but his confrontation with Phoibos back in Knossos came crawling back.

_ Who said I was a human? _

How many people did Adam judge without knowing? Did he unknowingly hurt any while in the White Fang, too angry and foolhardy to stop and see the person before striking back?

Would that anger and bitterness towards Eirian leave now that he knew? Part of him had to confess that it would, but her own fears and troubles left him conflicted. He was willing to let her in only because of her Faunus father. He accepted what Eirian was, but not all of it, and her desires stuck with him.

She would rather he hate her for all of her, then only accept a part of her. That only left Adam confused on what to do. 

So many questions. Who would fight for these people if not the White Fang? He never heard anything good about these people, born from two different races, but he knew that the White Fang only fought for those who looked like them.

Did that make their fight just? If they refused to defend the people who shared their blood but not their looks, then who would? 

At that moment, Adam found his stomach dropping at the realisation of it all. He wanted equality for his people. For the Faunus. But at that moment, he came to see that the White Fang only wanted equality for a certain type of Faunus. Where was it for Eirian, or so many like her? Did Ilia have to face those same fears, only accepted into the White Fang because underneath her easily hidden scales, she still had features that identified her as one of them?

He didn’t know what to think or do. The fight he gave so much felt almost meaningless if it weren't for all the Faunus.

Shoving a pillow over his face, he groaned deeply to himself, the sound muffled by the fabric. There was too much for him to deal with at the moment. On top of searching for Blake and giving away his ring, he didn’t have the emotional depth to add his own prejudice to the pile.

It could wait for another day. With Junior searching for Blake, it would no doubt take a while before anything remotely useful would come up. Until then, Adam would have to wait, and try to fix some of the problems he had made.

Tomorrow was another day. For now, he’d get some sleep.


	13. Peace & War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam knew what he was doing. Eirian believes in him, even if she didn't agree with how he was going about his search. It's not only her who suspects him, with authority turning it's gaze to them. As they try to work under the radar, Junior is visited by some of Adam's old friends.

First semester was coming to an end, finally. 

Spring behind them, the students of Beacon enjoyed the summer days, with the summer break approaching fast. Warm sunlight beaming through the windows, Eirian sat at her desk with her face resting in her open hand. Half open eyes stared down at Professor Melina down below. 

Even with their mouth moving, the words they were speaking fell on deaf ears. A white noise that was impossible to cipher. Unlike the dozing off girl, other students around her seemed to have been paying more attention, writing down all that their professor was explaining without any distractions. 

Ruri was one of those students. Sitting on Eirian’s right side, the attentive student was sandwiched between her and Adam, sharing notes with the latter as they happily worked together. As she watched the two out of the corner of her eye, Eirian felt that same pange of jealousy hit her.

It’d been weeks since her father called, since Adam discovered that she had a Faunus parent and wasn’t just that human on his team. And in those weeks, he’d been keeping his distance. It was mutual. Even if Eirian wanted to be his friend, that fear remained with her, that thought in the back of her head that wouldn’t leave her alone. She still stayed strong in her decision. She’d rather be hated for all of her than accepted just for a part of her.

Any time, however short, that she spent with Adam was just for school work and training. With sessions going on at the end of every school day, the team trained to improve their skills and teamwork. At least, they were meant to. 

Adam always had an excuse for why he couldn’t attend. 

He was too tired, feeling unwell, had important matters to attend to. He’d mumble any excuse and run off to do whatever he had to do. While she was left confused, Zanthus always had that look on his face.

He knew something. Eirian didn’t know what, but she knew that, with Adam calming down and avoiding her rather than actively snapping at her, Zanthus had been spending more time with their leader. They’d talk about things that weren't shared with the rest of the team. It was heartbreaking being kept out of the loop.

Yet whenever she’d question him, her friend would just give a generic excuse and tell her not to worry. It was impossible not to worry. They were meant to be a  _ team.  _

On her other side, Zanthus was trying to keep up with the work. Trying being the keyword. With only a month of writing experience under his belt, he was struggling to keep his handwriting from resembling chicken scratch. Still, the fact that he was writing at all was a massive improvement from before. 

Suddenly, Professor Melina’s voice called out. “Miss Esna?”

Blinking, Eirian sat up straight with both hands on top of her desk, staring down at the patiently waiting professor with a flustered reply. “Y-Yes?”

“You’ve been staring into space for the past twenty minutes.” They pointed out curtly. “With your latest work, I would seriously consider paying attention to the class. Unless you  _ want  _ to repeat this year?”

“No, Professor! Sorry…” Eirian mumbled back, sinking into her chair with heat raising to her cheeks. It was so embarrassing being lectured in front of the entire class.

Thankfully, no one seemed to care too much to ridicule her for it. With all of the students focusing on them again, Professor Melina carried on with their lecture. “Now, we can move on to the topic of vigilantism.”

A few of those same students groaned to themselves. Eirian included, her gaze shifting over to the ticking clock hanging right above the giant whiteboard. It felt like time was crawling along. How much longer did she have to suffer through this cursed class?!

“Under Vale Jurisdiction, Huntsmen are given the power to perform raids, arrests, and work on the same level as the police force. Although, we are considered a special force in our own right, more to deal with Grimm and serious criminals rather than your typical petty crime.” Melina explained, pacing around the small space at the front of the lecture hall. “However, we are not above the law.”

They stopped completely. Hands holding onto papers with who knows what written on them, they looked over the sea of students, unfazed by the amount of eyes staring back at them.

“Huntsmen are some of the most skilled and powerful fighters in Remnant. With Aura and Semblances that put us over even those in the police, we are the elite, and we are  _ dangerous. _ ” They paused for a moment. “So, the four kingdoms set in place strict laws restricting Huntsmen and Huntsmen in training.”

Eirian knew about the laws around Vale and the other kingdoms. There weren't any in Menagerie, though that could just be because there isn’t an official Academy there, and any young Faunus who had the skills would just go to one of the four kingdoms to train. 

“In Vale, students are not permitted to carry nor brandish their weapon in the city. You are not allowed to use your Semblance for unlawful fights unless it is in self-defense. Most importantly, you are not allowed to go after criminals without a license or outside of a supervised mission. Vigilantism can and has gotten people killed in the past.” 

Their face turned somber for a moment. 

“It’s important that you all understand this. With the Academy’s relationship with the Valerian police fragile at best, we must avoid further problems.”

Something stuck with Eirian. Quietly, she raised her hand, waiting as Professor Melina noticed her. “Yes, Miss Esna?”

“If a student is caught doing something outside what they’re allowed, how’d the school punish them?” She could feel her teammates staring at her intently, wondering what spurred this on.

Even Melina themselves were curious, an eyebrow raised while they explained. “While Headmaster Ozpin gives the students involved a chance to voice the reason why they broke the law, we are usually forced to suspend them. If the situation is severe enough like it has in the past, the students involved are expelled and can face jail time.”

“And what of their team? What happens to them?”

“Depends on their level of involvement.” They further elaborated. “If it is one student that commits the crime and their team were not involved, they face no punishment. However, if the team knew of this and chose not to inform the Headmaster or any faculty member, they too face punishment since it’s complacency.”

“Has there been any case where the team loses their teammate because of this?”

Melina didn’t reply immediately. For a moment, they seemed deep in thought, almost melancholic with how their gaze fell to the papers in her hand. Eirian actually feared that she went too far at one point.

Thankfully, the moment of reflection was only brief, with the professor nodding. “Yes. The teams affected were able to have new members transferred, but it does impact them emotionally. Losing a teammate is not an easy thing to get over. Especially if they were killed during the crime.”

Killed? Eirian knew the dangers of their profession, but the realisation that they were in danger while still students scared her to the core. 

No more questions left, she simply sat there with a dark look on her face. Melina seemed to drop the conversation at that, returning their attention to the class while the lecture continued. Eirian stopped listening at that point. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Adam glancing over at her. All his scribbling ceased. Lips pulled back in a deep frown, he practically glared at his notepad, ignoring Ruri while the latter carried on with her work. The negative aura radiating off him alone had Eirian’s stomach twisting painfully. Something was wrong. 

She’d have to ask him after class. While the thought of talking to him while he was angry had her nervously fidgeting, she pushed that anxiety away, knowing that leaving something like that to fester would only make things worse.

So, with the professor talking away to the bored students, she tried her best to at least focus for the rest of the class. It was by no means an easy task. By the end of it, even the ticking of the clock felt like it was ringing loudly in her ears. She’d glance over at it expecting it to be near the end, only to find that there was still loads of time left, finding every second dragging on.

Eventually, the school bell rang. Everyone was prepared for it this time, with Zanthus putting his hands over his ears just before it rang, blocking out the piercing noise as he got up from his seat. 

Shoving her pens into her case, Eirian tossed it into her bag while her friends got ready to leave. A small satchel that she could hang over her shoulder, she loved her little possession, holding it fondly while following Zanthus out from the row of desks. As Ruri and Adam followed after them, a voice called out from the front of the hall.

“Miss Esna? If I could have a word?” Professor Melina asked softly.

Thoughts ran through Eirian’s head. Was it about her work? Her dozing off? Her habit of making paper planes and poking Zanthus in the head with them?

Nervously, she looked over her shoulder at the professor, finding them sitting on their desk with their arms crossed over their chest. The serious look in their eye meant something serious. Any idea of running off left as quickly as they came. There was nowhere she could hide. So, with a solemn nod, she muttered to her friends. “Wait outside for me.”

“Alright.” Zanthus agreed, guiding Ruri out of the lecture hall. 

Adam moved to follow, only pausing for a moment to glance at Eirian silently. She couldn’t read the expression on his face. Without a word, he left the hall too, with the few straggling students following suit. 

Left alone with only the sound of the door closing breaking the silence, Eirian gulped to herself before walking down the stairs leading to the professor’s desk. Everything she did ran through her mind. She couldn’t think of a single thing she had done that would push the professor to keep her after class. Was she that bad of a student?

_ Calm down.  _ She thought to herself.  _ It’s probably a friendly chat. A suggestion on how to improve. You’ll be fine. _

Her pep talk did little to help when that stern gaze focused on her. Nervous, she stopped just a foot from the desk, unable to stop fidgeting on the spot while Melina spoke. “You don’t need to look so scared. I just need to have a quick chat with you.”

“What about?”

“Your questions today. It’s the first time in months since you’ve actually participated in my class. Since the topic today has given me cause for concern, I just want to clear a few things with you before I let you go.” Arms uncrossed, they pressed the palm of their hands against the polished wood. “Eirian, I want you to tell me truthfully. Are you or anyone you know doing something you’re not supposed to?”

She didn’t want to admit the truth. Yet when she tried to reply, she felt this strange wave wash over her, the words coming out before she could even stop them. “No, but I’m scared that Adam’s gotten himself into something.”

“Adam? What’s he done?”

“I don’t know.” She couldn’t stop herself. It was like someone was pulling her words out before she could stop, only able to stand there while the professor continued to question her.

“Does anyone else on the team know?”

“I…” Stop. “Zanthus had been talking to him. They haven’t said anything to me or Ruri, but I’m scared that he’ll get into trouble.”

Melina sighed at that. With that, the invisible hold on Eirian vanished, leaving her standing there with her heart beating wildly, unable to think about what she said as she blurted out. “What was that?!”

“That was my Semblance. I’m sorry for using it on you, Miss Esna, but I had reasonable justification for doing so, especially with our staff having to keep an eye on Mr Taurus.” They were keeping an eye on Adam? 

Eirian couldn’t keep her curiosity at bay, asking nervously. “What’s happening with Adam? Is he in trouble?”

“I’m afraid that’s confidential, Miss Esna.” Melina explained.

“If there’s anything I can do, I wanna know.” Eirian pushed more, taking a step forward to the desk. “Please, I just wanna help my friend.”

“I understand your desire to help your teammate, but this is a matter best left to the professors and Headmaster Ozpin. I can at least assure you that Adam is not in trouble, but we want to prevent any future incidents before they can start.” 

That didn’t help her anxiety at all. Hands curled up against her chest, she wore her worry on her face, which pushed Melina to add in a comforting tone. “Everything will be fine, Eirian. You did the right thing.”

“It doesn’t feel like it, and it wasn’t exactly my choice.” The use of the professor’s semblance weighed heavily on her. 

“I have to press that I am sorry for using an extreme measure.”

“Intrusive more like…”

Melina didn’t say anything about that, thankfully. Rather, they stood up from their desk, placing a hand tenderly on Eirian’s back and guided her back up the stairs. “Regardless, it’s best if you get going. We don’t want your friends to be waiting for too long and miss out on their training session.”

Eirian completely forgot about that. Walking up to the door with the professor behind her, she paused for a moment, looking up at Melina while asking worryingly. “Are you sure it’s alright with Adam?”

“I’m positive. If we find anything that worries us, we will simply talk it out with your leader.” Even with that warm smile on their face, Eirian felt anything but relieved.

Still, she nodded solemnly and opened the door. Without another word, she left the room, closing the door behind her while looking around. Just as they said, the rest of her team were waiting patiently outside, even Adam remaining with the others as he stood there, leaning against the wall. 

He didn’t seem happy about it. As soon as Eirian stepped foot out of the lecture hall, he approached her, keeping his voice low while questioning her. “Well, what’s Professor Melina want?”

The truth sat on Eirian’s tongue heavily. Like sand, the words she wanted to say drifted away, leaving her standing there with wide eyes and mouth agape. “Uhh…”

“Well?”

“Was it serious?” Zanthus added from behind the other male Faunus.

Even Ruri was curious, standing by Eirian’s side while signing. “ _ Are you alright? _ ”

“Professor Melina might… know.” She mumbled out.

“Know? Know what?” Adam pushed, pausing only for a few seconds before adding in a worried tone. “What have you told her?”

Eyes falling down to her feet, Eirian couldn’t even bring herself to look at him while admitting. “They’re worried that you might be doing unlawful things. I think they know that you’ve been going into the city for something… something that you shouldn’t be looking for.”

That was all Adam needed to here as he turned around, walking a few steps away with his hands behind his head. Immediately, Ruri stopped Eirian from speaking further, signing to her and Zanthus while looking over her shoulder. “ _ We shouldn’t talk here. _ ”

“You’re right.” Zanthus agreed, turning his head to Adam as he called after their leader. “Let’s go back to the dorm. We can talk about it there.”

At first, they expected Adam to simply ditch them again, storm off in a rage to find a quiet place to think, but he didn’t. Rather, his hands lowered to his sides, a deep sigh escaping his lips while he turned back to his team.

“Alright. Come on, then.”

The walk back to the dorm was grueling. All the way, Eirian couldn’t stop her mind from racing, holding onto Ruri’s hand with her other one fiddling with the red lace tied around her neck. The heavy blazer and thick white shirt was great for colder weather, but with the summer heat beating down on them, she was practically boiling in them. 

On top of her anxiety worsening, she was left a complete mess by the time they’d reached the dorm rooms. Silently, Adam walked into their room, kicking his school shoes off while the others passed by him. Eirian gingerly sat down on the bed, glancing over at her leader as he paced the room.

Door shut behind him, Zanthus quickly broke the silence as he calmly asked her. “Alright, what exactly did Professor Melina say?”

“Well, they didn’t exactly say a lot… Just that they and Headmaster Ozpin have been keeping an eye on Adam. I think they’re suspicious of whatever you’ve been doing when you go into town.” She explained, glancing over at Adam.

Pausing in his pacing, he fixated on her. The way he was staring had her fidgeting in her seat. “Is that all they said? What exactly did you tell them?”

“It wasn’t my fault!” She quickly turned defensive. “It’s their semblance. I told them everything I knew.”

“For gods’ sake.” Adam swore to himself, turning around with hands running through his curled hair. 

“Wait.” Zanthus piped up. Approaching Adam, he placed a hand on the other’s shoulder, gesturing to Eirian while he spoke. “This might not be that bad.”

Adam scoffed at that. “What makes you think that?”

“Cause Professor Melina asked  _ Eirian  _ about what you were doing. Eirian doesn’t know.” 

Eirian sat there dumbfounded. An expression that was shared with Adam, the latter glancing between her and Zanthus a few times before nodding in agreement. “You’re not wrong there.”

“Speaking of which, does anyone wanna fill me in?” She piped up while waving her hand. “You’ve been talking back and forth for over a month. What were you even doing when you went down to the city?”

“If I tell you, I might as well go and tell Ozpin too.” Adam retorted sharply.

“I told you, it wasn’t my fault. I had to tell the truth.”

“Well, consider it damage control that you’re kept in the dark. Ruri, too.” He calmed down slightly when he added. “You don’t need to get involved. The less people that know, the better.”

That made Eirian frown deeper. Getting up to her feet, she approached her teammate, trying her best not to let the anxiety control her when he visibly stiffened the closer she got. Calmly, she spoke her mind.

“We told you our secrets, Adam. We’re meant to be a team, but you’ve been keeping me and Ruri in the dark about everything. You can make the choice to reject our help, but you don’t get to take away our choice to offer our help.” She gestured to Ruri, who was standing by the door with her arms crossed. “Please, we just want to help. At least let me know how I can do that at least.”

He seemed apprehensive. That singular blue eye shifting over to Ruri and Zanthus, he seemed to think deeply about Eirian's offer, though he wasn’t so quick to accept it.

“You don’t have to accept my help as a friend.” She was quick to clear, offering her hand out.

Even with that additional point, he wasn’t pleased with the truth. She honestly thought he would be glad that she wasn’t trying to be his friend. 

Finally, he turned to Ruri and gestured for her to come closer, making sure she could see him when he turned to address Eirian once again. “This can’t get to Ozpin or anyone outside this group. Alright?”

“Okay.” Eirian agreed.

“Right. Okay…” He sighed, moving to his bed as he sat down with his arms resting on his spread out legs. “The reason I went into the city that day was to talk to someone. Someone Zanthus recommended.”

Eirian glanced over at Zanthus. He’d been quiet for most of the conversation, preferring to stay in the background while Adam came clean. As she turned her attention back to Adam, she asked. “Who?”

“Junior is what you can know him by. He runs an underground service, gives information on any and everyone you need to know about, for a price at least…” 

“And you went to him for, what? Information? On who?”

Adam didn’t respond immediately. Quiet, he and Zanthus shared a glance, neither of them saying anything until the horned Faunus admitted quietly. “My sister.”

“Your… sister?” Eirian couldn’t stop the surprise in her voice. 

“Yeah. We got separated before I came to Beacon, I came here to look for her. Turns out to be near enough impossible when you’re one dude in a kingdom’s capital.”

“Wait, is that what you were doing while we were at the hostel? All the nights I saw you sneaking out?” She could remember it as clear as day. She never bothered him, leaving Adam to his devices while she went to bed, but now that she knew what he was doing, a part of her wished she had helped. 

He nodded quietly in response. As she played with one of her dreads, she turned to talk to Zanthus instead. “So, what do we do now?”

“There’s nothing we can do. Not until Junior comes back with something about Adam’s sister.” He explained. “The best thing now is just carry on with our work and keep our heads down. No need to attract unwanted attention.”

“Which would’ve been easier if Eirian didn’t go and tell on us to the professors.”

“I…” Eirian’s annoyance died down at that. There was no point repeating herself, letting that minor snippy comment go while Zanthus walked between them.

“That doesn’t help.” He chided Adam.

Surprisingly, he didn’t say anything in retort. Sitting there on his bed, Adam looked away while the blonde carried on, turning to Ruri. “At any point, we should start taking our training more seriously. The Vytal festival is only months away, and I’d rather prepare now than waste time once we get to Mistral.”

“Oh, I completely forgot! The stadium’ll reach Haven some time in Fall!” Eirian gasped, already taking off her blazer while panicking. “We’re so far behind everyone else! We haven’t even started team attacks or strengthening our Semblances!”

As she bounced around the room trying to get changed, the rest of her team followed in a more controlled manner. Hopping up on one leg as she tried to pull her shorts up, Eirian found herself nearly falling flat on her face numerous times, even saved at one point by Zanthus as he held her upright.

“Calm down. We still got plenty of time to prepare ourselves for the tournament.” He comforted, placing her down on the ground before turning back to the chestplate he had on his bed.

Waving her arms around, she whined loudly. “I can’t help it! How are we meant to be one of the best if our leader hasn’t even trained with us?!”

“Wait, why are you dragging me into this?” Adam snapped from the sidelines.

“She’s not exactly wrong.” Zanthus quipped with a smirk. “Outside of Professor Goodwitch’s lessons, we hadn’t even seen you fight since the Initiation. Let alone fight together.”

“That’s not true.” A short beat. “It’s not  _ completely  _ true.” 

Another beat. “Okay, you have a point.”

Ruri sat on her bed in her uniform while they carried on, watching with a blank stare as Eirian pushed. “So, you need to actually come to training now. There’s nothing that needs your attention, anyway.”

He glared at her for that. Eyebrows furrowed, she stood there with her smile turning strained, sharing an uncomfortable look with Ruri before Adam sighed in annoyance. “Fine. I suppose I do have to actually start being a member of the team.”

“Great! Let’s go, then!” Eirian took a step towards the door before noticing something.

With a quick spin on her heel, she faced Ruri and piped up. “Ruri, why are you still in your uniform?”

Grabbing the hem of her pleated skirt, the mute girl looked over at Zanthus and Adam, the two having gotten changed during Eirian’s panicked outfit change. The confusion only lasted a few moments before Eirian practically dragged the boys out with a flustered expression. 

“W-We’ll wait for you outside!” 

By the time Ruri was ready and the group headed towards the designated training grounds, the time slot they had for training was almost up. Still, they took an empty part of the maintained fields and started their training.

Flourishing her beloved sword, Eirian danced around the spot with it while humming. “It’s been way too long since we had a good fight.”

“Since Adam’s here, let’s start with some two v two to get into the rhythm.” Zanthus suggested, flexing his arms with his vambraces strapped tightly to them. Stretching them up, he turned to Ruri with a smile. “We haven’t had much experience fighting together. Wanna be on my side this match?”

Even with the stern expression on her face, a small smirk appeared on Ruri’s lips as she nodded. While she joined the teenage boy’s side, Eirian stood there with a blank expression, only able to look over at Adam to see the latter looking her way. Slowly, she grinned nervously as he sighed.

“Fine.”

The idea of partnering with Adam dampened her giddiness to finally get around to having a good old fashioned sparring match. Most of the time being stuck behind desks and restricted spars with Glynda watching her every mood had an effect on her fighting spirit. 

Both pairs teamed up, they took a moment to strategize their movements. As Adam kneeled there with Eirian by her side, she listened carefully as he explained. “This is how it’s gonna be. Since you’re not exactly front line material, you’ll keep to the back and keep the others from ganging up on me.”

“I can take on Zanthus. With my birds, I can keep out of his range.”

“That might be for the best. Ruri’s too quick for you to get a shot on, but don’t use your bombs. We don’t want to tear up the training fields too badly for the next group to come in to.” He added.

“...Fair.”

Short talk over, the two stood up and turned to face their opponents. Ruri and Zanthus were already waiting. 

Without a word shared between them, the match began. 

Blade of her sword flipping backwards and the rifle component coming out, Eirian ran backwards while Adam rushed for the duo. Their plan stuck in her head. Keep Zanthus’ attention on her, let Adam take care of Ruri.

From what little she saw of Adam’s fighting, she had faith in him. 

Hand digging into her pouch, her Aura flared to life, that life energy speeping into the clay figures she had pulled out. As she threw them to the ground and watched her creations come to life, she hopped on top of them and took to the skies. She felt safer up there than down on the ground.

Peering through her scope, she watched the fight down below. It was almost impossible to keep up with Ruri and Adam as they clashed blades. Sparks flying with metal scraping metal, Ruri deflected her opponent and tried to roundhouse kick him, flipping away when her foot failed to make contact and Adam tried to stab at her again.

Blade digging into the ground, Ruri ran up it and wrapped her thighs around Adam’s neck. Her weight and the force of her falling to the side had Adam unbalanced. 

She couldn’t focus on them for too long. As Ruri immobilized Adam on the ground, Zanthus was approaching to remove one threat. Eirian didn’t hesitate as she shot at him. Missed. She wasn’t trying to hurt him, after all.

Cape flowing in the wind, he dodged the hail of bullets raining down from where Eirian was flying. Not as fast as Adam and Ruri, he was still a moving target that was hard to pin down, moving through the tall grass, numerous boulders and scattered trees that were around. Soon enough, he vanished from her sights in the small cluster of trees near her. 

A small grunt of frustration escaped her throat as she lowered her sword. Adam could handle Ruri while she pinned down Zanthus.

Suddenly, gunfire shot out from the cover of trees. Bullets were loud in her ears as they whizzed past, she nearly fell off her birds in fright, managing to right herself while they flew around in a panic. Heart starting to beat hard, she could feel that adrenaline. That  _ rush.  _ Just what she was missing. 

Her shocked expression faded to exhilaration, a huge grin on her face while she flew around the trees as gunfire continued to shoot out at her. Too quick, she avoided them fluidly while aiming through her scope. No use. Wherever Zanthus was in there, the thick foliage covered him too well. She needed to force him out. 

Digging into a pouch on her belt, she pulled out a cartridge of bullets. Just what she needed. Loading her rifle up, she aimed down at the trees that her friend were hiding in. With a deep inhale, she steadied her aim, and fired. 

The dust bullet hit its target. Exploding into flames and heat, the healthy leaves weren't as easy to burn as dry shedded leaves would’ve been. Still, the fire spread through the trees as well as Eirian needed. Thick smoke billowed into the skies. Almost choking her with its toxic fumes, she was forced to fly lower to avoid the smoke building up.

Her eyes stung terribly. Watered, she rubbed them with her gloved hand as her birds carried her lower to the ground.

That moment of blindness was her one moment of weakness. A dark shape rushed straight for her, and before Eirian could even react, a heavy weight fell on top of her and shoved her right off the birds. Wind whistled loudly in her ears, eyes snapping open to see Zanthus grabbling her. 

Bent over his shoulders, his tight grip on her ankles had her wincing in pain, unable to stop him as he spun through the air with her. Dizziness made her want to vomit. Cheeks bulging as she whined loudly, she prepared herself for the incoming collision with the ground.

Yet it didn’t come. Rather, Zanthus ended up throwing her with all his might. The poor girl was sent flying. Stomach flipping and turning, she waved her arms in panic, no longer able to rely on her birds with them flying too slow to catch up with her. Heart hammered away, that same adrenaline she enjoyed now making her want to vomit.

Suddenly, thick metal chains wrapped around her waist. Digging into her exposed flesh painfully, she was yoinked from the air and slammed straight into the ground. 

All the air in her lungs vanished. Breathless, she gasped loudly, stunned on the floor as she looked down at the chains wrapped around her. Gritting her teeth, she followed the familiar weapons to see Ruri standing there. 

Adam had already escaped her grip, throwing his sword in a buzzsaw manner that Ruri deflected with her remaining knife. As soon as it shot back to him, Adam grabbed it, his hands gripping the weapon tightly as all the red on his body flared brightly. It was like the world got darker. 

That was his Semblance. It was a sight to see as Eirian laid there, stunned with the sight before her.

With a loud shout of exertion, he slammed his sword into the ground, and right there, a wave of red energy shot straight for Ruri. This was it. The sight of it hitting their teammate and dust being kicked up violently from the impact had Eirian half in awe and half scared for her friend.

What if she was hurt?

That fear was quickly put to rest when harsh winds blew the dust away. That rumbling through the ground, its sheer power having her cover her face, Eirian recognised it from before. 

There, Ruri stood unhindered. An unimpressed look on her face as she brushed a speck of dust from her shoulder. 

That powerful attack had Adam kneeling down on the ground, needing a moment to recuperate. Yet it was a moment he wasn’t given. In a flash, Ruri moved, the chain connected Eirian to her weapon unravelling more as its owner rushed towards her stunned leader.

Adam tried to strike back. Sword swiped in a horizontal blow, Ruri simply jumped over it, using Adam’s shoulders as a perch as she pushed down with another shockwave rumbling through the ground. The sheer force sent the unfortunate boy flying across the ground, rolling uncontrollably while Ruri was sent soaring right for Zanthus.

It was at that moment that Eirian realised that the chains had a length limit. A sudden jolt of pain sparked through her body, a yelp the only noise she could make as she too was dragged after Ruri.

The mute girl spun through the air. A tight grip on the knife that was connecting her to Eirian, the chain itself started to wind back up into the weapon, dragging Eirian along it as she overtook Ruri. As she was thrown through the air, she saw a glimpse of the awaiting Zanthus before his strong hands wrapped around her legs. 

With the momentum she was traveling at, he spun around, keeping up the speed as the world became just a blur. Nausea building in Eirian’s stomach, she scrunched her eyes shut, praying that the spinning would end. All of a sudden, she felt her back slam into the hard ground and her eyes snapped open once more. Mouth agape, no sound could be made while she laid there in pain. 

Her whole body refused to move. Staring up at the blue sky, she could only mutter pitifully. “Ow…”

Slowly, her head turned to see Zanthus leaving her alone to go after Adam, who was still trying to go toe to toe with Ruri. Determination fired something up deep inside her. She wouldn’t be the one to lose first. 

Despite the sharp pain running through her entire body, Eirian pushed through it. The attack left her sitting in a crater, the cracked earth under her fingers digging up as she forced herself to sit up. In the distance, faint twitters caught her attention. She had a plan. 

Sword picked up from her side, she let out a shout and drove it right through Zanthus’ cape, pinning it to the ground. The sudden stop had it pulling at him, startling the boy as he spun around to see what had happened. When he saw the sword sticking out of the ground and a smug Eirian rolling away, he was stunned for a moment.

Only a moment. After that, he moved to pull the sword out of his cape, but it was too little too late.

Before he could react, the birds that were following after Eirian had caught up to her, rushing towards Zanthus as he looked up. When they were a few feet away, the injured girl shouted loudly. “Explode!”

They did as they were ordered without hesitation. The giant explosion ripped through the ground, thought it was not nearly as potent as those that she had used in the forest. A training match didn’t call for the large amounts of agitated dust she usually put in her sculptures. 

It was enough. Zanthus was powerless as he was thrown across the ground, rolling along the dirt before colliding with one of the large boulders that were scattered across the field. The sheer force he had hit it split it in two, the halves lying there while he sat there, completely still. The thrill of victory vanished when she realised that he wasn’t moving.

“Zanthus?” She called out, nearly dragging herself across the ground before she forced herself to her feet. A few steps, and she practically ran for her friend when he didn’t respond. “Zanthus!”

When she reached his side, the other two had ceased their fighting and rushed to Zanthus’ aid. Ruri was right there in a second, kneeling down to check him over while Adam stood over the group, staring down at them with a widened eye and shock clear on his face.

“What the hell happened?!”

“It wasn’t meant to go like that!” Eirian tried to explain, turning back to Zanthus with unshed tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”

Suddenly, a deep groaning stopped their panicking shouts. As they stared down at the boy, they all were surprised to see him opening his eyes slowly, blinking with eyebrows furrowing in pain. It wasn’t even the fact that he was moving that shocked them. Rather, it was the faint shimmering light that encapsulated his whole body. A golden glow like light hitting a water’s surface. 

Soon enough, it vanished, and all were left stunned by what they saw. Finally, it was Adam that piped up first. “His… Aura didn’t break.”

“Yeah. Gonna need a bigger explosion to kill me.” Zanthus joked, shocking everyone with his head lifting up. “Though, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t try and blow me up again.”

“I thought I really hurt you!” Eirian wailed loudly, burying her face in her friend’s chest while he could only gingerly pat her back.

“That attack could’ve incapacitated a trained Huntsman.” Adam explained in awe, gesturing to the split boulder that Zanthus was sitting against. “Just how much Aura do you  _ have? _ ”

“Dad always said I had a lotta it. Guess he was right about one thing.” Even with the joking tone, Zanthus was still in a great deal of pain. Not surprising since Aura didn’t actually nullify the pain from blows. 

Ruri tried to help him up, taking Zanthus’ hand while supporting his weight on her shoulders. Even with their similar heights, his massive frame and weight was a little more of a challenge for Ruri to shoulder by herself. Thankfully, Adam stepped in, sharing some of the load with one of Zanthus’ arms over his shoulders.

“Come on,” he chided. “Let’s get you back to the dorms.”

As they helped their injured teammate back to their dorms to rest, he turned to Eirian and smiled goofily. “I think we’ll be alright in the tournament.”

“That’s still a while away, and we got more training ahead of us.” Adam reprimanded, before adding with a faint smile of his own. “But yeah, I think we’re gonna be alright.”

Ruri joined in with the warm smiles all around. Seeing everyone so happy and relaxed after their rough start brought relief to Eirian, her heart finally slowing down and the anxiety that was plaguing her drifting away. Even if it was only slightly, it was something, and for once since she got to Beacon, she felt like she was part of a team.

Everything was going to be alright.

At least, that was what they believed. 

With the sun dipping behind the horizon and night time falling across Beacon’s capital, a lone figure stood in an alleyway just across from Junior’s club. Bright lights dimmed, the closed sign warned all patrons away for the night. No witnesses.

Banesaw didn’t move from his spot against the wall. His mask hid away all he was feeling, that with his bulking frame and towering height scaring away any creatures that lurked in those very same alleyways. He didn’t think any criminal would be foolish enough to try and mess with him on a night like that. 

Thunder could be heard in the distance. Soon enough, a storm started to brew. 

Rain pelted the sidewalks harshly. Washing across the cracked concrete slabs, he didn’t try to seek shelter, not bothered even when his uniform started to get soaked in the downpour. With the storm rumbling, he almost missed the sound of something heavy landing behind him. Almost.

Gaze fixated on the club, he listened as Iya complained. “I’m getting soaked out here. Why’d we gotta sit in the cold like rats while Adam sleeps in a fancy dorm?”

“You can go and ask Ozpin for a room yourself, if you want. I hear they have real fancy ones in the city’s jail.” 

“Fucking funny.” She snapped, her wings wrapped around her as she shivered. “I’m gonna get a cold. Then I’m gonna get cranky, and you know what I’m like when I get cranky.”

“You get even more obnoxious?”

She pouted at that. Lower lip pushed out, she whined softly before turning to look back in the alleyway. Faintly, the sound of groaning reached Banesaw’s ears.

“You left him alive?” He asked, looking down at Iya with a intrigued tone to his voice.

“Don’t get any ideas. He ain’t getting far without his lower intestines.” She brushed off, sticking out one of her feet to rinse in the rain. Even in the dark, he could see the thick blood staining the steel, dripping down to be washed away in the rain on the ground. “But he sure did sing. Turns out, we’re a bunch of shit minions.”

“So Junior’s found Blake already?”

“Sure did. Only we got a problem, any minion we grab off the street ain’t gonna know dick. Seems like old Baby Bear keeps the information under tight lips.” She mimicked a locking motion over her pursed lips. “Zzzzzip. We ain’t gonna find out shit unless we get it from the source.”

“What’d you think, then?”

Wings fluttered in anticipation as Iya turned to him. “I think I’m tired of waiting. I’m going in there and I’m gonna find out what we need even if I have to make him eat his own glass bottle pieces. Whether you come with me is up to you.”

“You’re not gonna find a way in that's also big enough for you.” He made a point to clearly look up at the hulking wings on her back.

With an annoyed growl, Iya gestured to the front of the club melodramatically. “Well, if you’d be so  _ kind  _ as to open the door for a lady.”

With a long stare, he silently walked out of the alleyway and into the street. The blue glow from the street lights illuminated the whole street. It was almost blinding, the exposed feeling somewhat diminished when he looked around to see that no one was in fact around. With it raining heavily and being night time, it didn’t surprise him that most of the civilians decided to stay home. 

His left fist clenched tightly. Skin grew tight around it, even his clawed fingernails feeling like steel as they scrapped against the palm of his gloved hand. It was strength that he didn’t feel before, but was so used to wielding.

As he reached the locked entrance, Banesaw pulled his fist back and threw a punch right into the solid doors. A loud bang rang through the air. Without any resistance, the doors flew off the handles, crashing through one of the glass pillars with an ear splitting shatter. He walked inside with the sound of panicked shouting and guns loading right in his face.

He didn’t move. Looming over the guards, he watched with no fear as wind blew right past him. It was too fast to follow with the human eye. 

Humans screaming out as blood splattered on the dancefloor, bodies being thrown across the building or slammed into walls, one even missing Banesaw as it was tossed into a broken part of the glass pillar he had just broken. Impaled, the unfortunate soul could only struggle, trying to pull his body off before Banesaw approached him and cleanly snapped his neck. 

Those that weren't being massacred by Iya focused on him. Grabbing one of the henchman’s arms that brandished a sword, Banesaw threw him right into another approaching man, leaving them rolling down the stairs as he approached the bar.

Junior stood there in shock. Eyes widened, he reached for something under the counter just as Banesaw reached it. Suddenly, something swung for his head. Without a thought, he raised his hand, feeling his skin harden once more when the metal bat hit it full force. Metal hitting metal rang in his ears. The feeling of the weapon denting in his grip, he tightened his fist around it, bending the metal even more before grabbing Junior by the tie.

Silently, he spun around and threw Junior through one of the other glass pillars, watching him slam into the dance floor amongst glass shards and splattered blood.

As he tried to make a move, he leaned back when a heeled boot came down from above. It missed him by inches. A close call.

Backing away, he barely raised his burly arm to block a series of fast paced kicks. As soon as he blocked one to his face, he felt another sharp heel dig into his side, lashing out to give himself some space. His attacker flipped out of the way, landing perfectly fine even with the high heeled white boots she was wearing.

She was certainly different to the incompetent henchmen he made mincemeat of. White frilled dress swaying with her graceful movements, she brushed her feathered boa out of her face and moved to strike again.

As soon as he could keep an eye on her, any chance she had vanished. When an overhead kick failed to hit, she flanked to the side and tried to stab him in the side again, only for Banesaw’s giant hand to grab her ankle roughly. With no hesitation, he threw her over his head in an arc and slammed her petite body into the bar. 

Glasses left there shattered on contact. Stunned, she couldn’t react when his hand grabbed the front of her face and slammed her head into the counter again. Wood splintered under the force he put in.

With that, she fell limp. Letting her body fall to the ground, he turned to see that another girl that was the spitting image of her, only wearing red rather than white, was fairing about as well with Iya as her twin did with Banesaw. 

The short fight was over before he could even move. As he blinked, Iya came into view, slowing down in the air before colliding with the back of the girl. Sharp talons digging into her hair, she slammed the poor girl’s face into the floor and held it there. The thrill of the fight was clear with the twisted grin on her face.

Incapacitated, all those under Junior could do nothing when Banesaw walked through the blood and guts to get to where he had thrown the information broker. 

There, Junior laid in glass and blood. None of it his own. White shirt stained red with the dark fluid, he could only roll over in time for Banesaw to grab him by the collar and lift him up. Junior was a big man. His feet scraped the floor even when Banesaw held him up to eye level, but the size meant nothing when the White Fang lieutenant showed their true power.

Choking, Junior spluttered out. “The hell do you thugs want?!”

“Hey, that’s a microaggression.” Iya chided from the background. “Keep going and I’m gonna show you macroaggression.”

“Shut up, Iya.” Banesaw grumbled, ignoring her childish expression as he focused on his target right in his grasp. “We heard you’ve been looking for a certain Faunus girl. This one, in fact.”

He lifted up a picture of Blake for Junior to see. As he looked at the picture, Junior’s expression dropped even more, the fear he was feeling clear for Banesaw to see.

Struggling to breathe, he tried to deny. “I don’t even know her. I’m just a club owner.”

“You’re  _ lying. _ ” Banesaw’s voice dropped to a guttural growl. His grip moved to Junior’s neck, threatening to choke him unconscious as it tightened.

“I-I’m tellin’ the truth! We haven’t had any trouble with the White Fang! You can go and tell your boss that!” Junior’s face was draining of colour the longer Banesaw was holding him up for.

Lifting him higher in the air, Banesaw kept his cool and continued interrogating him with a cold tone. “We saw a Faunus boy come in here, we  _ know  _ your real business and we  _ know  _ that you’ve found her already because we pulled that information straight from one of your henchmen.”

“By the way, if you find one of them without any organs, it was him.” Iya piped up, pointing at Banesaw with a nonsensical look.

“Look, if you want money or men, just ask! I’ll give you all you need!”

“What we need is information you have on  _ Blake Belladonna. _ ”

“Belladonna? The royal family from Menagerie?” Junior choked out. “I didn’t know I was getting into royal business. Honest!”

“Right, I’m getting sick of this faffing around.” Iya snapped impatiently.

Turning around with Junior in hand, Banesaw watched as Iya pressed foot down on the back of the girl’s head. She could only groan in pain, too out of it to even fight back while her captor retorted in a dark tone. “Either you spill the beans on everything you find out, or I’m gonna spill this girl’s brains all over the streets!”

“M-Miltia.” Junior gasped in horror.

“Miltia. You know there’s quite a resemblance between the two of you. You her dad?” Iya added with a cruel smile. “Miltia, your dad’s a bit of a shit father for letting me kick the crap outta you.”

“Don’t be cruel, Iya.” Banesaw chided.

The winged woman groaned in disappointment. “Spoilsport. You know she’s got Blake’s hair. Reckon I could scalp her and give it to Kaa without her knowing it ain’t Blake?” 

“Don’t touch her!” Junior threatened, struggling against Banesaw’s grip.

Faintly, a weak voice whispered from Miltia’s body. Iya paused in her taunting, looking down at her prey with an annoyed expression. Straining, the others managed to hear the injured girl as she repeated herself. “Don’t… listen to them.”

“Don’t. Be. So. Fucking. Rude.” Every word from Iya was punctuated with another stamp of her foot, turning to the grown men with an exasperated sigh like she was done scolding a child. “Kids these days. No manners. Stay outta grown ups conversations, sweetheart.”

Miltia didn’t respond. The silence filled the air, only broken when Iya muttered in astonishment. “Shit, did I kill her?”

“You knocked her out.” Banesaw revealed, gesturing to the other twin. “Take that one. Do whatever you want, until Daddy Dearest here coughs up the answers.”

Iya grinned in sadistic delight at that. However, she could only take a step towards the other twin before Junior snapped.

“Vacuo!” He cried out. “S-She took a train down to the Vacuo border a couple of weeks ago. Rumors are that she’s hiding in the mountains.”

“Vacuo…” Banesaw muttered to himself. Satisfied, he dropped Junior to the floor, ignoring his gasps of air while turning to his partner.

As she approached him, she pointed out in a serious tone. “Given the Scarlet Fields along the border between the two kingdoms, Blake ain’t going anywhere into Vacuo without flying or swimming. The mountains are the last place she can go to.”

“It’ll take us months to search for her.”

“Then go home. I can fly down there myself, besides…” She spared a glance at the carnage they left. “We better get the hell outta the city before every cop and Huntsman hunts our asses in every part of the city.”

“Leader Naga entrusted both of us to search for Blake. Besides, how do I know you won’t come back here and kill Adam too if I’m not here to stop you?”

She laughed mockingly at that. “So heroic. Fine, we’ll find a train that’ll take us down there so we can find lil’ kitty cat. But while we’re here…”

Turning her attention to Junior, who had dragged himself to the unconscious Miltia and cradled his daughter in his lap, Iya walked right up to him and kneeled down. Eye to eye with the psychopath, Junior glared at her, his stare mixed with fear and hatred while she patted his bearded cheek.

“Here’s what’s gonna happen.” She instructed. “You ain’t gonna breathe a word to Adam until we come back. When we tell you, you give the word to Kaa’s favourite runaway and we’ll be the ones to give him the good news personally.”

“What’re you doing?” Banesaw snapped.

Glancing over her shoulder, she was eerily calm as she explained. “It’s called psychological warfare. Kaa wants her bouncing joy to stop being an idiot and come home, you break his spirit a little. The whole reason he’s even here is to find his sister. We just gotta be the good lil’ messengers, and the rest will fall into place.”

“And if it doesn’t?”

“Then I’m decorating Ozpin’s fucking tower with his student’s entrails.” With her gaze fixed on Junior, she added in a chillingly cheery tone. “Make no mistake. If you try and rat us out to the cops, or to Ozpin, I will come back, and I will crush your kids’ heads like grapes. Don’t make me do good on this threat.”

He didn’t respond. Eyes falling down on Miltia, he nodded quickly, to which Iya hopped back to her feet with a wide grin. “Perfect! Well, we’re off to Vacuo to enjoy the sun! See you all in a few months!”

Waving them goodbye, Iya skipped up the steps with her hands behind her back, wings fluttering in the breeze while Banesaw followed after her.

As they stepped into the humid rain, he paused for a moment, glancing over his shoulder when the faint sound of sobbing drifted along the wind. A solemn moment that gave him time to reflect on what he had done. Yet it wasn’t guilt or shame that filled his heart, it was pity. Even against the humans, he wouldn’t subject anyone to a life under Iya’s threats, and he certainly found no joy in doing what he was doing like she did.

It was something that had to be done. That was something he told himself, and he knew that it would be hard to justify the murder of a teenage girl when they would finally track Blake down.

Still, his thoughts remained only that. Thoughts. On the outside, he remained what the White Fang needed him to be. Cold, ruthless, efficient. War had no need for emotions or morality. With a heart of stone, he followed Iya to the outskirts of the city, leaving the capital and giving Adam a few months of peace that he didn’t know he had. 


	14. Fatherly Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zanthus' birthday has arrived. A day for celebrating, the team is welcomed by the arrival of Eirian's father; Icheku Zulu. With the older Huntsman there to share the day with them, Adam is shown a side to his problems with Eirian that he has never addressed.

August. The nineteenth, to be exact. 

Marker in hand, Adam stared at the calendar that was hung over the desk. Every day that had passed since April had been crossed out. Special occasions written on certain slots, he hummed to himself as he read Eirian’s handwriting on today’s date. 

Zanthus’ birthday. Fancy handwriting with little doodles and hearts around it, he crossed the box out while Eirian worked hard beside him. Taking the desk for her own use, she busied herself, hands working the clay through before she began shaping it into different forms. For once, she was completely focused, the tip of her tongue peeking from between her lips. 

As he stood there, Adam piped up softly. “You’re still working on that?”

“I had to repair some of it after Zanthus dropped it.” Eirian explained, pausing to meet Adam’s gaze. “And I want it to be perfect. It can’t exactly fly if I don’t mold its wings properly.”

“You’ve been at it for five months. There’s more pressing work that needs your attention right now.” He gestured to the pile of books that were stacked right beside her.

“I’ll do them later.” She brushed off, waving her hand nonchalantly. “I wanna finish this by today anyway.”

An annoyed groan escaping his throat, Adam walked over to his best and flopped down, barely missing the thick book that was resting on his pillow. Sitting up, his long legs crossed over each other as he grabbed it. The MSL book that Eirian had taken out months ago. Give the others their due, they’d managed to learn a lot in the few months that they were learning. Not completely fluent, but enough to at least get the gist of what Ruri was saying. 

Adam was not that lucky. His mind focusing on other problems, and trying to keep his classwork from piling up, he had given no time to learning sign language. Relying on Eirian or Zanthus to translate was growing tedious.

So, while Ruri and Zanthus went out to the city for something, he had taken to flicking through the book and learning by himself. 

Hands raised up, he copied the diagrams printed on the page, focusing entirely on the words and gestures. It almost made him giddy when he recognised the few signs he had learned during his time in the White Fang. 

Though, he had a hard time ignoring the recollection of Zanthus and Ruri leaving before. They didn’t say exactly what they were going out for. But when Eirian decided to stay in the dorm to finish up a few things, Zanthus couldn’t help but push that it was what she wanted and that she would be fine alone in the dorms. Alone with Adam. 

He wouldn’t lie, it did sting that Zanthus still didn’t have complete faith in Adam to not start fighting as soon as he was gone. A miniscule part of him reasoned, but that didn’t help the negativity that sat in his gut. 

For all his due, he hadn’t really talked to Eirian or snapped at her besides that brief conversation they just had. In fact, her silence and focus on her clay statue meant that she wasn’t running around the room, and more importantly, wasn’t pestering him. It was almost nice just sitting there trying to learn something new. 

Occasionally, Eirian moved from her desk. Walking to the window, she peered out of it, seemingly searching for something, before returning to her desk. Once, twice, thrice, she’d constantly do it, to the point that she’d spend more time wandering around than actually working on her project. 

Don’t give in to the annoyance. 

Focus on the book. 

Gritting his teeth together, it was around the tenth time that Eirian moved that had him snapping at her angrily. “Can you stay still for _five minutes?!”_

“I can’t help it.” She whined softly, glancing over her shoulder while she stood at the giant window. “My dad’s coming today. Zanthus and Ruri’ll probably come back soon, and I haven’t finished anything I need to finish.”

“Then go and finish it.”

“I try! But then I start thinking about what I gotta do next, and all the time limits, and then there’s the fact that I’ll actually become an adult today, and it feels like my brain’s gonna explode!” She gripped her head with both hands while groaning loudly. 

He said nothing at that. As he sat there on his bed, Adam watched while Eirian practically glued her face to the window, her pudgy cheek squished against the glass as it fogged with her breath. 

Something crossed his mind. Closing the book with a deep sigh, he pulled out his scroll and tapped away on it. As he did so, he also got up from his bed, focusing on the scroll while reaching out and grabbing his teammate by her wrist. It wasn’t rough, rather a guiding gesture as he pulled her away from the window and back to the desk. 

“What’re you doing?” She asked softly, taking her seat once more.

Quiet, Adam carried on typing on his scroll, leaving Eirian to sit there in confusion until he placed his scroll down beside her. On the lit up screen, they could see a timer there. Numbers dialed up to twenty minutes.

“You can use it to regulate yourself.” He explained. “Work on your statue for twenty minutes, then take ten to rest, and repeat. It should at least help with managing your thoughts.”

“Ooooooh.” She seemed interested in the idea, leaning over his scroll with wide eyes before he nudged her back into her seat.

Pressing the timer’s button, he watched the twenty minute limit start counting down. “There. Keep working until the timer’s up.”

With a limit set, Eirian got back to it. Hands skillfully working at the clay, she was completely engrossed in it, working on what seemed to be the tail as Adam looked over her shoulder. It looked the exact same as when he first saw it. Except for the smushed clay foot from where Zanthus had dropped the poor thing. 

Sets of paint sat next to it, he watched her work for a few more seconds, before deciding to leave her alone to carry on without distractions. With the much appreciated silence, he returned to his book on his comfortable bed.

Over the next hour, Eirian had managed to get some work done. It wasn’t as much as her other teammates would in that amount of time, but it was impressive for her, and Adam had to give it to her for that. 

“There!” She smiled triumphantly. 

As he looked up from the book, he saw that the entire statue was completed, including the destroyed foot from before. With all the detailing done, he could clearly see that it was a falcon. With its short curved beak and angular wings, it certainly looked the part, but with the lack of colour on it, it seemed quite… plain. 

Saying nothing, he sat there as the peppy girl grabbed the paintbrush. “I just gotta paint it, and then it’ll be complete!”

“What exactly is this for, anyway?” He asked. 

“Ah, ah, ah. It’s a secret.” She hushed, pressing a slender finger against her lips. “It should dry by tonight. Hopefully.”

“Alright. Knock yourself out.” He let her go on without much interest. 

She didn’t seem to mind that much. Paintbrush in hand, she went at it, brushing a dark brown across the main body while holding it in place. Adam tried to ignore her, focusing on the book in his lap, but it didn’t seem to last long when he finally heard the dorm door opening. 

“Hey, you guys are gettin’ along.” Zanthus joked as he walked into the room. 

That was as much quiet time as he was getting. Closing the book shut, Adam glanced up, immediately focusing on the shopping bags the other teen was carrying. The heavy looking things didn’t seem to stop him. With each arm carrying four, he was faring far better than Ruri, who struggled carrying two as she too entered the dorm room. 

“You sure took your time.” Adam noted, not taking his eyes off the bags as Zanthus put them on his bed. “What’d you get, anyway?”

“It’s a surprise.” 

Eirian’s voice piped up. “Is it new books?”

“No.”

“Clothes?”

“No.”

“Food?”

“Kinda.” He conceded, pulling out a box from the bag with his back turned to the eager girl. 

From where Adam sat, he couldn’t quite see it with Zanthus holding it in front of his body, only able to see the pink cardboard and some white swirling designs that decorated the edges. An eyebrow raised, he waited patiently while his teammate turned around, showing the box to Eirian while laughing nervously.

“I know you like papaya, so Ruri and I bought a papaya flavoured cake for the party later.” He glanced down at it with ears pinned back. “Do you even have cake for these coming of age things?”

“Well, we do eat food but cake isn’t really part of the cuisine in Vikela.”

His smile faded at that. “Oh…”

“But we did have cake for birthdays! My mom did come from Mantle, so I was pretty much raised with both cultures.” She comforted, getting up from the desk as she approached Zanthus.

Letting her take the cake, he watched her open the box and sniff it, that warm smile coming back when she pointed out in excitement. “Wow, it really does smell of papaya!”

“We went to the shop on Drury Lane. The baker there gave us some new muffins that he had baked after he found out we were students.” Zanthus confessed, looking over at Ruri as she dropped the bags on his bed. “Though Ruri helped herself to four on the way back.”

Eyes narrowed, Ruri gestured to Zanthus angrily, though Adam had no idea what it meant until Eirian gasped. “Ruri, that’s rude!”

“What’d she say?” Adam asked.

Face flushed, Eirian turned to him with the box still in her hands. Her gaze fell to the side, lips pulled into a tight line while she tried to explain in embarrassment. “How do I say it? She called Zanthus a female dog… or a derogatory word for a woman!”

“A bitch?”

“That’s it!” She seemed more shocked that Ruri would call her friend it than the actual word itself. 

“Ruri, you’ve been spending too much time around Adam.” Zanthus admonished, clucking his tongue at her while the deaf girl simply rolled her eyes. 

“The real question is how’d she even say that when Higher Mistrilian doesn’t even have swear words in their language? Let alone in the sign language?” Adam pointed out.

“Oh, she took the Atlesian Sign Language book out of the library to learn swear words there.” The feline Faunus revealed.

That explained it. 

From where he could see Ruri standing, she seemed very amused with the confession that she had been learning curse words from other books. With her hands free, she signed something to her friends, but with Adam’s limited knowledge, he had no idea what she was saying. 

Whatever it was, Zanthus chuckled and replied. “It’s Mistrali nobles. They’re not gonna have foul language, especially from what we know of your parents.”

“Do you know any in Lesser Mistrilian?” Eirian asked curiously. 

“Sure I do,” he took the box from her and set it down on the bookcase between his and Ruri’s bed. “I heard plenty while in Haven.”

That had Eirian practically bouncing around him. “Can you teach me? Can you?”

“Woah, woah.” Quickly, he grabbed hold of his energetic friend, holding her up from the ground with his hands under her armpits.

Feet dangling, she swayed there, trapped in his steel grip while he continued. “I ain’t teaching you any of that. It’s not something a sweet thing like you should know.”

“You never let me have any fun.”

He chuckled again at that. Yet before he could speak, a distant sound of roaring caught the team’s attention. 

A deep rumble, one that travelled through the walls and put fear in their hearts. A Grimm? An enemy? Whatever it was, it wasn’t a normal sound of Beacon’s wildlife, and it had everyone up and at the window in seconds. Fear and adrenaline pounded through their veins. 

Staring out of the window, Adam squinted his eye when the bright sunlight nearly blinded him. It was so difficult to see up into the skies. Apart from the usual birds that nested in the trees around the Academy, he couldn’t quite see anything that would raise alarm bells. Even the others were confused, Zanthus’ voice piping up. “You guys heard that too, right?”

“Yeah. What was that?” Adam responded.

Ozpin’s tower stood tall in the distance. Watching, waiting, no one made the first move away from the window, everyone there confirming that they too heard the noise or at least felt the vibrations. Then a dark shadow flew right past the tower.

It was too fast to get a proper look. Either way, it wasn’t a normal bird, and that alone had Adam on the defensive as he took a step back. “We should warn the teachers!”

“Wait!” Eirian suddenly stopped him, a hand stretched out towards him while she kept staring out the window. Concentration melting away to relief, a wide smile appeared on her face as she moved away, rushing towards the door with a happy declaration. “He’s here!”

He? Confused, Adam immediately followed after the other girl with the rest of the team following suit. 

Once they were outside, he noticed Eirian standing out on the path, staring up at the sky while that same hulking beast soared high above. Even with the distance between it and them, the power of its beating wings sent harsh winds downwards, causing them to brace or be blown away.

Over the gales, Adam asked loudly. “What’d you mean? Who is this?”

Before she could respond, a booming voice laughed, deep and unable to be ignored as it echoed through the air. As they looked upwards again, the beast remained in the air, but something else was dropping down to where they were standing. Dropping fast.

“I’m _here!”_

Suddenly, the figure slammed into the ground just a few feet away from them. Polished stone shattered under his weight, the force alone had the group flying away screaming, Zanthus in particular waving his arms in a blind panic. 

As Adam landed on his knees, watching as Zanthus rolled across the floor before stopping himself, he finally got a good look at the person who sent them flying like it was nothing. He recognised the man in front of him. 

With those same dark skin, black dreads, and curved ram horns, Icheku was a man that was impossible to miss. Hands on his hips, he stood tall, towering over all the students even when they stood up on their own feet. That same boisterous and bright personality wasn’t just for the phone call, it seemed. Even with no words spoken, the way he carried himself, that same grin on his face, it was not rocket science to figure out where Eirian got that beaming personality from. 

Now that he was there in person and not confined behind a scroll screen, Adam noticed the outfit he was wearing. Or rather, he wasn’t wearing. A short, yellow coloured fur collar draped over his shoulders that dangled down in front of his bare chest, a zebra patterned skirt with dark shorts underneath, and just like Eirian, a white and orange cape hanging on the left side from his belt.

The sunlight reflected off the silver bracelets that he wore on his arms, barely containing his thick biceps. Though unlike Eirian’s more symmetrical bracelets placements, Icheku was missing some around his left wrist, rather it being replaced by a thick silver band around his ring finger. 

“Dad!” Eirian yelled happily, rushing towards her father.

He spread his arms wide, catching his daughter as she practically threw herself at him. In his arms, he spun her around while that laughter rang through the air again, holding her in a tight hug while replying back. “Hey there, sweet pea.”

“You’re finally here! There’s so much I wanna tell you, it’s been so much fun here at Beacon! All my classes are great, well save for Law, but the professors are so nice and welcoming! I think you’ll love to meet Professor Oobleck, he’s been teaching us a lot about Menagerie and its history!” 

“Eirian, chill.” Zanthus piped up as he appeared beside her. Hand on the top of her head, he stilled her frantic hopping, standing there as he turned to Icheku himself. “It’s great to meet you in person, sir.”

“Please, son, just call me Icheku! No need for these formalities!” He insisted.

It was a heartwarming scene from where Adam stood. Zanthus wiggled around while Icheku brought him into a tight hug, whinging loudly until Ruri approached quietly. Seeing the silent girl approaching, Icheku released the complaining teenage boy and bowed respectfully to her. “I’m happy to meet Eirian’s best friend.”

“Wah, w-well, best friend is what I said, technically, but it’s fine if you don’t think that way, Ruri!” Eirian babbled bashfully, leaning around Icheku while her hands waved frantically in front of her face. 

Ruri didn’t seem annoyed. Rather, she had a tender smile on her face, signing something that Eirian quickly translated to her father. “She said she’s happy to meet you, finally.”

Icheku laughed again at that. Without warning, he pulled Ruri into a tight hug, so tight in fact that her face started turning a shade of blue that matched her hair, the poor girl flopping in his grip while her teammates frantically pulled her out. Adam watched from where he stood.

He didn’t feel as though he could go and introduce himself. What he had said still stuck with him, how he treated the man’s daughter, and in all honesty, he couldn’t stop focusing on those horns. The battle in his mind wreaked havoc on his confidence. Not only in himself, but in the organisation that he spent so long in.

His neutral face kept anyone from realising what was wrong, but they didn’t even notice when the beast that had them all terrified not five minutes ago finally landed.

It was as impressive as it was _terrifying._ At first glance, it could be mistaken for the Manticore Grimm that inhabited the mountains of Southern Vale, with feathered wings and a feline body resembling that of a lion, but as he looked closer, the similarities quickly faded. Rather than the black void that made up the majority of a Grimm’s body, this beast seemed like it was made from purple smoke, its form looking barely held together as it stood there.

When it lowered it’s head for Eirian to cling to its face, he could see the mask that the smoke was seemingly emitting from. Rather than bone white skulls with protrusions all over their body, this creature’s mask was dark in colour, like it had been carved out of wood rather than bone. Small eyes etched into it, deep red lines decorated in various patterns. It was the only thing resembling a face with a wild mane wafting behind it. 

“Bomvu!” Eirian gasped, hanging off its face while it laid down.

Even when lying on the ground, it dwarfed Eirian entirely, able to keep her off the ground while she held tightly onto its mask. A deep rumble came from its chest, shaking the ground and setting Adam on edge again.

Finally, Icheku and the others seemed to have realised they were missing one member. Looking over at the distrustful boy, Icheku called him over with a welcoming tone. “Come here, boy. I gotta introduce you to Bomvu!”

Bomvu. It had a name. 

He still didn’t trust it. When he saw Zanthus and Ruri waiting expectantly, however, he knew he couldn’t get out of introducing himself to the lion. 

With a sigh, he bit his fear and walked towards the group slowly, never once taking his eyes off the creature. Much to his relief, Bomvu seemed more interested in the cheerful Eirian as she climbed all over it, burying her face in its mane while sitting on the top of its head. He still couldn’t stop himself from imagining it suddenly attacking him. It wasn’t a Grimm, it was an ally.

No matter how many times he repeated that, it didn’t fill him with the relief he was seeking. 

When Adam reached Icheku’s side, he felt a hand slap between his shoulder blades, unable to stop Icheku as he was pushed closer to Bomvu, along with Ruri and Zanthus. Finally, it seemed to have noticed the rest of the team, staring at them with those small eyes growing larger the closer they approached it.

Face to face, he could feel its hot breath on his face. Every exhale felt like fire. Even when he stared into those dark eyes, he could actually see pupils staring back at him, the iris a mixture of red and white. 

“You don’t have to be scared of Bomvu here.” Icheku comforted, patting Bomvu on the mane while it made a low _pff_ sound. “He’s as harmless as a kitten. Well, when he ain’t roasting Grimm.”

“This is some Semblance.” Zanthus muttered in awe.

“Dad’s Semblance lets him bring his five masks to life. Each one has their own name and form, and can even morph together to become stronger!” Eirian explained while sitting on top of Bomvu.

Icheku nodded in agreement. “They’re my family. They’ve kept me safe on all my missions, and Bomvu here gets you anywhere as fast as an Atlesian Bullhead.”

“Impressive.” Adam conceded. “Where’re the others?”

“Right here!” Suddenly, Icheku grabbed something from his belt. 

In his hands, the students could see more masks, similar to the one on Bomvu’s head Yet they weren't shaped anything like Bomvu’s. While his was carved into the shape of a lion’s face, the others took forms of different animals. A cheetah, buffalo and snake, no bigger than Icheku’s hands compared to the massive face on the lion beside them.

“I have five.” He explained, patting Bomvu’s side with a grin. “But Mhlophe and Bomvu are fused right now so I could get here.”

Adam couldn’t stop the confusion from seeping into his words. “They’re… fused?”

“They have names?” Zanthus added.

“Sure do!” Eirian jumped in. “Bomvu, Mhlophe, Phuzi, Zuluwathile and Lulaza! Though we can’t introduce you to Lulaza…”

Icheku nodded at that as he elaborated. “She’s the strongest of the five, but she’s very… temperamental. I don’t use her unless I have no other choice.”

“That’s a big problem for someone who fights for you.” Adam pointed out.

“They don’t fight _for_ me.” Icheku quickly corrected him. “They fight _with_ me. They’re more of my partners than pets. Kinda like your team.”

Adam glanced over at the others standing next to him. A team. That gave him something to think about, keeping quiet while Icheku decided to change the topic. “Since I’m here, I can get the stuff ready for the ceremony tonight!”

“Do you need our help with that?” Zanthus offered.

“I appreciate the help, son. I actually need somewhere to set up the camp. Can’t go starting a fire in the dorm now, can we?”

Slit pupils glancing around, the blonde added nervously. “A fire?” 

“We do ceremonies around a bonfire.” Eirian revealed in the background, sliding down Bomvu’s side.

“Well, I think there’s some secluded parts of Beacon that we can use. So long as we don’t set anything on fire, it should be fine.” Zanthus suggested. 

Eirian nodded eagerly at that. “We can bring some of the food you bought there. It’s cake, but that’s fine, right dad?”

“Of course! I have a bit of a sweet tooth myself!” That didn’t surprise Adam. Honestly, the more he got to know Icheku, the more he just seemed like an older Eirian with a beard. 

The group gathered together, they started moving back towards the dorms with Eirian babbling in excitement to her father, recounting every single adventure and moment that the team had during their five months in Beacon. Any words were lost on Adam, his attention focused on Bomvu as the feline creature got back up to its feet, attempting to follow after his leader with heavy footsteps thudding behind them. 

Some of the other students had come near the door, likely having seen the flying creature and, like Team AZRE, were worried that a Grimm somehow got too close to the Academy. When they saw Bomvu coming closer, they soon scattered, returning to the lounge or their own dorms to get away from the intimidating beast.

Icheku and the students around him would’ve followed suit, if it weren't for a flash of green and then a figure standing in the doorway, blocking it from the confused group. “Excellent, I was afraid I would miss the opportunity to talk to one of the Menagerie Huntsmen!”

“Professor Oobleck?” Eirian gasped in shock.

“Doctor.” The correction soared over her head as the eccentric doctor continued. “I had seen this magnificent creature flying around and knew immediately that Mr Zulu had come to Beacon. We’d been expecting you any day now!”

“Sorry that I hadn’t checked in before coming down to the dorms. Had to check in on my girl.” Icheku placed a giant hand on top of Eirian’s head

“Oh, my good man, there’s no need to apologise! I’m certain our Headmaster knew you arrived as soon as you flew in!” Oobleck quickly turned to face Bomvu himself.

Startled, he let out a deep growl as the professor rushed to the spot in front of it. Giant canines flashed as he backed away, tail swishing while its mouth opened wider, letting its hot breath breathe over the group. Adam could’ve sworn it was getting hotter.

“Bomvu, don’t you dare!” Icheku warned, storming over to the huge lion with a new authority.

Surprisingly, Bomvu stood down, sitting there like a scolded pet as he chuffed softly. Any anger in Icheku vanished. Gently patting his creation on the nose, he turned to Oobleck as the latter exclaimed. “What an amazing ability! I’ve never witnessed a Semblance quite like this. Tell me, how does it work?”

“Well-”

“Not to butt in,” Zanthus piped up as he walked between the two men. “But we were about to go and get things ready for Eirian’s ceremony.”

“An actual Vikela tradition?” Oobleck questioned.

Eirian waved cheerfully from behind her friend. “Yup, it’s for my coming of age.”

Even with his eyes covered by those thick, circular glasses, Adam could see that glint regardless, watching Oobleck’s body language turn from intrigued to fully engaged at the aspect of a traditional ceremony happening in the school. Pushing his glasses up with one of his long fingers, he addressed Eirian and Icheku directly. 

“I had always been interested in learning more about Menagerie and her various cultures given the unique creation of the kingdom. If I am allowed, I would love to attend and see your culture firsthand?”

“It’s a personal ceremony amongst our people.” Icheku revealed, turning to Eirian with a uncertain tone. “It’s for you and your friends, sweet pea. What do you want?”

“I don’t mind Professor Oobleck coming. It’ll be nice to have more people attend!” She replied happily.

“Doctor. And thank you for the invitation.” Oobeck bowed slightly before straightening back up again. “Might I ask where it’ll be held?”

“We’re thinking of a spot near the training fields tonight. It’ll be quiet and empty, so we won’t disturb anyone.” Zanthus explained.

Eirian lost some of that confidence as she shyly added. “If that’s allowed?”

“My dear, Headmaster Ozpin would allow any gatherings of cultural importance regardless! I assure you that I give full permission for this to be held, so long as it’s nothing too dangerous.”

“It’s not Just a bonfire, food and dancing.” Eirian paused for a moment, before turning to her father. “Dad, I don’t have drums.”

“I knew you wouldn’t find what you needed in Vale, so I grabbed it from home before I left.” With a toothy grin, Icheku pulled something from the giant bag that was tied to Bomvu’s side. 

As the group looked at it, Adam was surprised to see an instrument. It wasn’t like a drum set you would commonly find in Vale. Rather, it was more of an hourglass shape, with one end covered in stretched animal hide and pinned down to a wooden body. Painted in earthy tones and decorated with colourful lines and shapes, it was polished and obviously greatly cared for.

While Adam and his friends were pleasantly surprised with it, besides Eirian’s excited squealing, it was Oobleck who was truly mesmerized by it. 

“An actual Vikelan drum!” He was by Icheku’s side in a second, looking over the instrument without touching it. “With only replicas in museums around Vale, no one outside of Vikela itself had ever seen one that was actually made by the natives.”

“Made this one myself when I turned eighteen, and soon you’ll have to make your own, Eirian.”

“Another project she’ll push off for months.” Adam muttered to himself, earning a painful dig to the ribs from Zanthus. 

Icheku likely didn’t hear that, as he continued with that same grin. “Let’s get things ready, then. Mind helping us prepare, Doctor?”

“It would be my honour!” With that, Oobeck practically rushed into the dorms with Eirian running after him, both matched for speed as they left the rest of the group in the dust.

With a deep chuckle, Icheku placed a hand on Bomvu’s mask. The touch was gentle, remaining there as the lion’s smoke body disappeared with only the mask remaining. As it shrunk in size, Icheku held tightly onto it, catching another one that was hidden deep in Bomvu’s body. Both in hand, he returned them to his belt and guided the rest of the students inside.

“Come on,” he laughed. “We better get things ready before it gets too dark.”

It actually wasn’t too much work. At least, Adam didn’t have to do too much, finding that while it was technically Zanthus’ birthday, the ceremony meant that those who actually followed it had to do most of the preparation. 

Still, Adam wanted to be of some help. It was for Zanthus too, and honestly, he seemed just as excited as Eirian to be able to go through the ceremony and finally become an adult. He carried the firewood needed for the bonfire. He helped plate some of the food that would be eaten during it. He even helped Eirian with Oobleck’s hundred and one questions all about Menagerie and the vast groups of Faunus that lived there.

By the time the sun started to dip behind the horizon, and the warm summer day drifted to night, the group sat around the burning bonfire while Icheku fed more wood into it.

The way the flames danced around was mesmerizing, but frightening. Even when he wasn’t too close, he could almost feel its burning embrace on his flesh, unable to forget the searing pain on his face as the phantom sensation flared up. Hands itching to tear the bandage off his face, he sat there with his scowl deepening. 

Suddenly, a voice muttered to him from his left side. “You feeling alright, Adam?”

Turning his head, he noticed Zanthus sitting there, staring at him with worry clearly plastered over his face. 

“Yeah.” He lied, not wanting to get too much into his real fears. At the very least Zanthus could distract him from the burning glow a few feet in front of them. 

Both sitting on a log that Zanthus had dragged over to serve as seating, they just enjoyed the quiet company that the other gave, finding no need to waste any words while Eirian was doing more than her share to keep conversations going. 

Sitting over on the other log between Oobleck and Ruri, she was doing her best to explain a lot of the history behind her people and their customs, all while their professor listened intently and was clearly taking in all that she was saying. It was a surprise to find anyone who could keep up with the girl’s scattered way of speaking.

Icheku wasn’t moving from his spot by the fire. Nearby, Adam watched the smoke creatures nervously, noting the new arrivals resting along with Bomvu. No longer did he have the feathered wings on his back. Rather, those wings were belonging to another one of Icheku’s masks, this time taking the form of an eagle rather than a lion. With a short, curved beak and smoke shifting to form feathers on top of its head, resembling a crown, the creature, given the name Mhlophe apparently, seemed the most clingy of the group.

Shuffling closer to the fire, and towards Icheku, she let out a soft, almost mellow, whistling while waddling on her clawed talons. It wasn’t exactly a dignified look for a giant bird of prey that dwarfed the man she was calling to.

With that beak hovering over his shoulder, Icheku gave it an affectionate pat before returning to his duties. Mhlophe gave a few content chirps before settling down near him, seemingly content to just rest next to her leader. 

Finally, with the fire roaring to life on the various logs fed into its flames, Icheku stood up and gestured for Zanthus and Eirian to come towards him. Both got up, walking over to the giant man with nervous clear on their faces. Anxious steps and fidgeting hands, Zanthus was the more worried of the two while Eirian stood in front of her father with a wide grin and barely contained excitement. 

There, the ceremony started. Starting with Eirian, Icheku pulled something out of his pocket and held it above Eirian’s head. With the fire illuminating it, Adam could see the bead necklace that Eirian had mentioned before, finding the different coloured beads enticing with the way the warm light reflected off the polished surface. 

Slowly, Icheku wrapped it around Eirian’s neck, letting it rest over the collar she was wearing before that her white tank top was attached to. As she stared down at it, he muttered something to her, too quiet for Adam to make out what exactly was said. Whatever it was, it left Eirian beaming brighter than he had ever seen before. 

Next was Zanthus.

As Icheku approached with the necklace, Zanthus seemed far from happy to have someone near his neck, leaning back before piping up. “Is it possible to wear it somewhere else on my body? I can’t have things around my neck.”

“It’s a necklace, son. You have to wear it around the neck.” Icheku explained.

“Okay… can I at least put it on myself? It’s easier that way.” Zanthus really didn’t want anyone near his neck.

Thankfully, Icheku conceded with a nod, allowing the teenager to take the necklace from his hand and wrap it around his own neck. With his fur trimmed cape nowhere to be seen for the ceremony, it was easy to see the piece of jewellery resting against his chestplate. Colourful beads glimmering in the light of the fire, bathing Zanthus’ skin in a warm glow, Adam found himself starting for perhaps a bit too long and quickly looked away bashfully.

What was wrong with him? The heat rising to his face had nothing to do with the warm fire, at least not like it was before, but the way his stomach twisted and his palms became sweaty left Adam confused and frustrated.

With their necklaces presented, Icheku cheerfully shouted. “Now we can celebrate!”

As it turned out, the celebration mostly consisted of food, conversation and a lot of drumming. Mostly Icheku did the drumming, letting Oobleck sit next to him while the man listened happily, and even at one point letting Ruri touch the side of the drum as he played. No doubt she listened to the vibrations.

From the smile on her face, she seemed to rather enjoy it. Good for her. Adam had found himself worried sometimes that his friend wouldn’t be able to enjoy things that the others took for granted, but Ruri had lived with being deaf for years. If she had any grievances about not doing something that the rest of her team could, she likely accepted it long ago. 

As the drumming echoed into the night sky, Adam kept to himself, sitting all alone on the log while he watched Zanthus and Eirian dance around the bonfire. At least, Eirian showing him the traditional dance moves, and Zanthus repeating them in a very poor way that left her laughing and joking around with him. Unsurprisingly, he didn’t take it as an insult, managing to laugh at himself a few times when he messed up one of the dance moves he was shown. 

It made Adam smile softly. Yet that softness faded into bitterness when he noticed Oobleck still chatting away with the drumming Icheku. It was an invitation and Icheku seemed fine with it, but Adam couldn’t help but feel like the human was trespassing on something that didn’t involve him. 

It was a Faunus culture. It came from Menagerie, and even though Adam knew it was Vikelan in nature, he couldn’t accept that a human could attend with little backlash. Yet those whose that culture belonged to allowed him to attend.

It left a confusing mess in Adam’s head, leaving him sitting there with a deep sigh escaping his lips. Maybe it was time to call it a night and go back to the dorms. No one noticed he was there anyway, and it wasn’t like they’d miss a party member who was spending all the time there just sitting on a log looking miserable.

As he made a move to stand up, he noticed that Icheku had left the drum to Eirian, who ran towards the instrument and sat down while Adam was distracted. For a moment, he expected the older man to join in on the dancing before they’d call it a night, but he didn’t.

Instead, he made a beeline straight for Adam.

The younger boy didn’t move from his seat as the ram Faunus sat down next to him. Arms resting on his knees, he sat there quietly, watching the dance in front of them as Zanthus pulled Ruri up to the stage to replace his missing dance partner.

Any chance for a quiet night was lost when he finally spoke. “Wanna tell me what’s troublin’ you?”

”Nothing.” Adam lied again.

“Come on, son. You don’t exactly look like the life of the party.” Icheku joked, trying to at least lighten Adam’s mood before his tone turned more serious. “Eirian told me about the problems between you two.”

Ah, that was it. The memories of their numerous fights plagued Adam’s head. Sitting next to her father, he actually feared that the grown man would retaliate, especially given how close he and his daughter were. 

Yet no such blow came. Rather, Icheku stayed calm, talking to Adam like a father to his troubled son would. “I know many Faunus like you back home. Hell, once upon a time, I was like you.”

“What’d you mean?”

“Ah, I was always angry. Always fighting for an answer I never had. Back then, I thought that because I suffered, it meant my anger was right, that it was justified.” He peered down at Adam with gentle purple eyes. “I was there during the Faunus Revolution, you know? Saw all the shit a child in a war should never see. Lost my father and my two half brothers.”

Adam’s voice went quiet as he replied sadly. “I’m… I’m sorry to hear that.”

“I know you are. That’s the thing, Adam. We’re in a time of peace but… you’ve gone and seen a war yourself. Saw things that a kid should never had. And it’s made you angry and bitter, but it’s made you sad.” Icheku sighed after that. “I was the exact same. That’s the funny thing about grief. People always think it’s these steps and then you finally get to acceptance and it’s over, but I found out that it’s not like that.”

Adam glanced up at him with a curious gaze. “I found that grief never really goes away. Even when you find acceptance, there’s gonna be times where you’ll get angry and sad again. Even after I met Clementine, I had moments where I was angry at humans for hurting my family so badly.”

“So, what’d you do?”

“I stopped, took a moment, and I remembered that for all the harm humans had done to me, there was a whole lotta good they done. I remembered the human that I fell in love with, the humans who were on my team and were my friends.” A large hand held onto Adam’s shoulder gently. “I remembered to hate those humans who did bad things. Not just hate them all on the excuse that they were humans. I think what your father wanted was good, if somewhat misguided.”

“My father?” Adam felt his blood turn cold.

“I know that Ghira Belladonna’s your father, and I know that you were once in the White Fang. But for all it’s worth, I’m glad that you left them and started to pick a path that’s right for you.”

“How’d you know this is right for me? Sometimes, it doesn’t even feel right.”

“Ah, we all feel that way when we walk down our path. We can’t always see the end. But when you stop once in a while and look back…” Icheku stood up and finished with a smile. “You’ll see how far you’ve come.”

Stunned, Adam sat there with his lips parted. Any words he wanted to say vanished. Mute, he could only sit there, watching as Icheku implored him. “Eirian isn’t the enemy. Don’t throw your anger at her.”

With that, he left Adam alone with his thoughts. The fact that he knew Adam’s connection to the White Fang stuck with him, but more importantly, the fact that he knew and didn’t _tell_ his team left Adam unsure whether he should be relieved or anxious. Icheku didn’t seem the type to hold that information above the teen’s head. Perhaps he just assumed that the rest of Adam’s team knew and didn’t feel it necessary to bring it up.

Either way, the advice he gave stuck with the teen. As he watched the rest of his team enjoying the festivities, he felt his gaze wander over to where Eirian was sitting, focused on her laughing and cheerfully banging away on the drums while Oobleck and Icheku cheered her on. He didn’t know how he felt.

He was angry, and scared, and bitter. He wanted to lash out because he didn’t want the pain to stay inside him anymore. But as he looked back at his journey so far, he could see that nothing good came to him when he did. His attacks were frenzied, striking out at anything and everything, and it left him all the worse. 

He didn’t want to hold onto this grief anymore, but he didn’t know how to let it go. Every time he threw it away, it always came back, latching onto him, infecting him. He wasn’t strong like Icheku was. He couldn’t bring himself to love a human, not after what so many did to him and the people he loved. As he stared at that happy little girl, he found that anger slipping away. Ever so slightly. But still slipping. 

As his thoughts raced around his head, he felt his scroll buzz in his pocket. Fishing it out, he squinted as the bright blue screen flashed, taking a moment to adjust before reading the name of his contact.

Junior’s name had his heart beating. Opening the text, Adam read the sentence, feeling his heart in his mouth as he couldn’t believe what he was reading.

_I found her._


	15. Blood In The Waters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam is so close. Months of searching has come to a point, his sister in his reach. Yet problems arise, and when he has an unwanted guest accompanying him, Adam finds himself fighting not just for his life anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter ended up having to be cut in half since it was just so big. Enjoy the longest chapter of the story so far.

That night was a difficult one. As soon as the group said their farewells to Icheku and Oobleck, he burst into their room with a dark expression, immediately heading to his bed while the rest of his team got ready to settle down for the night. 

“Oh!” Eirian suddenly exclaimed. “The paint’s dry!”

“You finally finished that thing?” Zanthus asked, undoing the leather straps that held his chestplate on his body. 

Standing by the desk that had her statue on it, she leaned forward so that she was eye to eye, a bright smile plastered on her face even when she pointed out in annoyance. “It woulda been done sooner if you didn’t hurt his foot.”

“I said I was sorry.” 

“Either way, he’s finally done!” She stood up straight, moving to the side so that the rest of the team could see the statue properly. 

It looked like a typical falcon. Brown feathers with black tips, bright yellow beak, beady black eyes, the detail she put in the claywork was honestly impressive. Ruri was the most intrigued. Though she couldn’t say anything, the way she touched the bird delicately showed such care for her friend’s creation, and she was clearly in awe with how her normally narrow eyes widened considerably. 

A heavy thud echoed through the room as Zanthus put his chestplate on the bookshelves between his and Ruri’s bed. Completely shirtless, the bead necklace he was given standing out with the black cord hanging loosely around his neck. As he turned to Eirian and Ruri, he kept his gaze entirely on the bird while his eyebrow raised. “You haven’t told us what you plan to do with it. Since you’ve been working on it for five months, what’s the plan?”

A wavy smile pulled at her lips, she placed her ungloved hand on top of the bird’s head. Much to the other students’ surprise, a pale silverish light spread over it, soon engulfing the entire falcon with a bright aura. 

Ruri held her hands in front of her mouth while watching the statue start to move. At first it was twitches of its wings, then it blinked, those same eyes glancing around the room as the statue moved its head. Light bounced off its white chest feathers, moving with each breath like the creature was made of flesh and blood rather than clay. 

It was interesting and unnerving at the same time to witness.

“I decided to name him Nabk!” She revealed, lowering her arm so Nabk could climb up. 

Ruri was too intrigued with the bird to ask anything, feeling its chest while Zanthus asked in her stead. “Nabk? What’s it mean?”

“They’re like lil’ berries you find in a secluded part of Vacuo. My grandma came from there before having to go to Menagerie, but they managed to grow some in orchids just outside Vikela.” The way she explained it had nostalgia clinging to every word. She clearly missed home. 

Finally, she noticed Ruri watching the bird and held Nabk out for her to hold. She seemed nervous to take it. As her arm raised slowly, Nabk tilted his head and shuffled across Eirian’s arm, gripping Ruri’s with his long talons before fully hopping over with a flap of his wings. 

Purple eyes sparkling with wonder, she moved towards her bed and sat down on the edge, feeling Nabk’s clay feathers while Zanthus piped up. “That Semblance is still something. That actually reminds me…”

Words turning to a mutter, he leaned back on his bed and searched for something underneath. That fur tipped tail swayed gently, moving along the soft duvet while Eirian and Adam waited patiently, both curious to see just what he was trying to find.

Finally, he piped up again. “Ah, here we go…”

With that, he pulled up a book, sitting back up on the edge of the bed as he dropped it on his lap. A thick, leather bound book that seemed familiar, Adam staring down at the upside down title while Eirian approached the feline Faunus. Once she was by his side, she too looked down at the title. 

“Hey, that’s the book I took out for our Semblance Theory assignment!” She pointed out.

This time, Adam was the one who piped up. “We shoulda finished our assigned parts already… _right?_ ”

His judging tone had Eirian and Zanthus glancing away nervously. He didn’t know who had the worse tells, Zanthus with his pinned back ears, or Eirian with her forced grin that just screamed _I didn’t do what you wanted me to do_.

“We… might have some things left to do…” She confessed.

Adam wanted to be annoyed. Not only was that work due in _tomorrow,_ but Eirian and Zanthus were already below average on their grades in most classes. Yet he couldn’t. His scroll felt heavy in his pocket, the revelation weighing on his mind so much that he couldn’t just ignore it. 

A tired sigh escaped his lips before he brushed it off. “Do it tonight. You guys still got some time left before you should get some sleep.”

“Oh. Sure, okay…” Zanthus replied. By the tone of his voice, he seemed just as shocked as Eirian that Adam wasn’t chewing them out for messing up yet another assignment.

For a moment, he worried that his team would start asking questions. Tiredness made him even more cranky, his mood switching from excitement of finding Blake to the fear that he would eventually have to meet her again. It was terrifying. 

Thankfully, that was not the case. Whether they put it to exhaustion or just one of his bad moods, the two left Adam alone to get changed in peace, instead deciding to take his advice and get as much work as they could before they too would have to go to bed. Adam didn’t mind. As the shuffling and quiet voices muttered behind him, he slipped his black kimono-style shirt off before tossing it in the hamper.

Over the months, Ruri had taken to filling up the closet with clothes for both Adam and Zanthus. Since he had no money and had been living in one pair for a while before coming to Beacon, he was grateful, finding the multiple pairs of pyjamas a lifesaver. Zanthus on the other hand wasn’t so thrilled. 

No question, he was polite and accepted the clothes, especially since it would’ve been rude in Mistrali culture to reject completely, but he didn’t seem thrilled like Adam was.

Perhaps it was a pride thing. Growing up homeless and poor had an effect on one’s self-worth, and it was an effect Adam knew well.

Slipping into the pyjama shirt, Adam could feel the softness on his skin, a comforting sensation that had him burying his nose in the fragrant silk of his collar while moving back to his bed. A book sat on his pillow. One of Ruri’s that she gladly borrowed to him, and thankfully wasn’t one of her romance novels. 

As he slid underneath the duvet, he picked the book and flipped through the pages, finding where his bookmark was from where he last left it. Rather than the romance she had lining the bookshelves, the book he borrowed was in fact a horror one, though it was more tongue in cheek for Adam. 

It certainly seemed to be terrifying for the poor girl.

From the bed next to him, he could hear Eirian chatting quietly. “So, we gotta write down our own Semblances and then apply Professor Slaugh’s theory of Semblance Evolution to see how they would evolve.”

“Ruri and Adam already did theirs, so it shouldn’t take too long, right?” Zanthus replied.

Eirian shrugged at that. “Lemme ask. Ruri? Ruri? Rur- she won’t stop messing with the bird. Ruri?”

She’d eventually click to the obvious problem with trying to verbally get Ruri’s attention. Focusing on his book, Adam kept one eye on the pages, but found himself keeping an eye on his other teammates. He wanted to make sure they did the work, but also found himself even _smiling_ when Zanthus gently guided his friend through the work.

“Well,” Zanthus started. “Let’s do your Semblance. What exactly does it _do?_ ”

“Oh, well… it’s kinda like my dad’s. My Semblance is Reanimation. At least, that’s what I call it.” She laughed nervously, a hand fiddling with the bead necklace hanging around her neck. “But rather than bringing masks to life, I can bring statues to life! But they, uhhh, they gotta be made from clay.”

“So you can’t bring statues to life if they’re made from something else? Like stone?”

“Nope. When they do come to life, they can do things themselves but it’s like… really limited. Usually I have to tell them what to do.” She waved her hands around while explaining. It was a surprise that Zanthus wasn’t distracted by the erratic movement.

Ears twitching in thought, he put a pen to his mouth and chewed on the end. 

“Okay…” he mumbled. “What was with those explosions? Was it a side effect of your Semblance?”

“Oh, no, I just work Dust into the clay before sculpting. Nabk wouldn’t explode even if I asked him to.” Almost on cue, Nabk flew over to where she was sitting, landing on the bed as he awkwardly hobbled across. 

As she scratched his head, she elaborated further. “It’s kinda like how my dad explained his Semblance. They’re my friends, they always have been.”

“Huh, I guess how you lived would have influenced how your Semblance formed. I think it says it in this book.” He paused for a moment, his voice dropping to barely a whisper. “What does theory mean?”

“Like, when you have an idea but for science.” That was certainly one way to explain it, Eirian.

Nodding faintly, he slowly wrote down something on the notepad. His grip on the pen was tight, but he was holding it in a clenched fist rather than between the fingers like Eirian, scribbling down carefully similar to a child colouring with crayon. 

As she let Nabk up to sit on her shoulder, Eirian seemingly finished writing down what she needed and quickly turned the conversation to Zanthus. “Right, we can write down your Semblance and then move on to how they’d evolve. So, what is it?”

He didn’t reply.

That caught Adam’s attention. Glancing away fully from his book, he, and the others in the room, noticed Zanthus’ complete change in personality. All relaxed sense of calm had vanished. Rather, he seemed more nervous, unable to meet his friend’s gaze and instead focused on the notepad in his lap. 

Something didn’t feel right. The simple question left him restless, fidgeting about as he finally answered. “I don’t have one.”

“What?” It came out before Adam could stop it. 

“I don’t have one.” He repeated, more pressed with each passing second.

“Oh. I mean… it’s okay.” Eirian comforted. “I know loads of Huntsmen who didn’t unlock their Semblance until later in their lives. A few really good ones never unlocked them!”

“Yeah… I think I’m gonna start getting ready for bed.” Zanthus quickly muttered, shutting his notepad while trying to shuffle off the bed and make a move out of the room.

Turning her body around to follow him, Eirian tried to call after him. “We still got some work to do!”

“You can finish your part. I’ll talk to Professor Slaugh tomorrow.” Even with the forced smile on his face, Zanthus didn’t sound all that calm about the work or the sudden revelation. 

Before anyone could try and talk to him, he disappeared, closing the door behind with a quiet _click._ Alone, the air sat heavy on the remaining three. No one dared to speak. Especially Eirian, who could only sit there awkwardly with Nabk chirping sadly, preening one of her dreads as she stroked it softly.

Even though she didn’t voice her shock, the look on Ruri’s face said it all. She felt just as uncomfortable and surprised as the others.

Shockingly, it was Adam that spoke first. “I didn’t think Zanthus would be one of those who didn’t unlock his Semblance.”

“I mean, it’s not super uncommon, but after he told us his time with the rings in Mistral, I thought that he would’ve had one during that time.” Eirian pointed out, turning to Ruri with a quieter voice. “Though, come to think about it, I never saw him use one during training or Initiation. Did you?”

The mute girl shook her head. 

“I didn’t see one while we were training.” Adam put the book down on his lap, no longer interested in reading with the conversation taking his full attention. “Give him some time. This probably isn’t the way he wanted us to find out.”

“I don’t like the idea of leaving him alone with this.”

“Sometimes, it’s just what you gotta do. Not unlocking your Semblance while trying to be a Huntsman can make anyone self-conscious.” His voice dropped slightly.

“Yeah, I guess so.” Eirian muttered. 

With that, she seemingly dropped the conversation, taking Adam’s advice and not running after Zanthus. It was difficult. He spotted her staring at the door, even when she thought the others wouldn’t notice. For a moment, he believed that she would ignore his warning and go after her friend instead. But she didn’t.

Instead, she tried her best to focus on her work. Ruri had taken to helping with Zanthus no longer around, sitting cross legged on the bed with Nabk sitting in her lap. Adam paid some attention, watching them signing to each other from the corner of his eye, but he had to admit to himself that he was still really worried for his teammate. Even though he couldn’t completely understand, there were some feelings that plagued Zanthus that he had an unfortunate experience with. 

Maybe when he returned, they could talk about it. 

An hour passed. Then another. Then another. Zanthus still hadn’t returned, and when Eirian finally finished typing up her notes on the shared laptop in the dorm, she shut the top and started to change into her pyjamas for the night. 

With the colder autumn months approaching, she had gotten more covering clothes to keep herself warm. A long, off white nightgown that stopped past her knees, the long sleeves were rolled up just like her other pyjama shirt, showing off her muscular arms that no longer had those silver bracelets attached. 

Pausing in front of the door, she stared at it slightly. Her hands clenched in front of her chest. Even though she didn’t say anything, the worry clear on her face said plenty, the concerned girl turning back to Adam when he piped up. “You can’t wait at the door all night.”

“He should’ve been back by now.”

“He’s a big boy. He’ll come back soon, especially if he doesn’t wanna go to class tomorrow exhausted.” Closing the book with a soft thud, he met Eirian’s gaze with a stern voice. “He doesn’t need you running after him all the time. Give him some space.”

Even with the sad look from the scolding, Eirian didn’t argue about it with him. Rather, she nodded solemnly and went over to her bed, passing Ruri’s without a word. The other girl, while concerned too, at least took the opportunity to distract herself from the missing teammate. 

It seemed that Nabk had taken a shining to her. While Ruri laid there on the bed, staring silently at the bird, he would settle down on the empty space next to her head. 

Eirian didn’t mind much. She just slipped into bed without saying goodnight, laying there as Adam too decided to at least try to get some sleep. 

A soft _click_ and the dorm lamp switched off, plunging the room into darkness. Even though he didn’t know about the others, Adam had a feeling that they too couldn’t sleep, laying there in the eerie silence as the clock on the wall ticked constantly. _Tick, tick tick._

He must’ve counted the irregular dots on the ceiling countless times. With his bandage on his face, the feeling of rough and dirty fabric brushing against scarred flesh became all he could fixate on, finding his mind being dragged in numerous directions. The pain and irritation, Zanthus, Blake. All of it stuck with him. 

Any sleep he did get was minimal. A quick loss of consciousness, and then he’d quickly jolt awake in a panic. It wasn’t deep enough for the nightmares to come, but that didn’t mean the words Blake said to him left over the months they had been separated. 

He couldn’t let the doubt stop him. He had come too far. 

With a deep groan, Adam pressed the palm of his hand into his uncovered eye, rubbing roughly with the frustration sitting in his gut. Constantly telling yourself to just do it only carried you for so far. 

At least the others fell asleep. Ruri was silent as always, only soft exhales occasionally heard from her bed, her chest raising and falling slowly with her breathing. Eirian had obviously failed to stay awake until Zanthus returned with how loud she was snoring, one of her legs sticking out the bed clearly when Adam sat up.

There was no point attempting to get some rest at that point. There were some things to do to take his mind off things, maybe distract himself long enough that the exhaustion would force himself to go to sleep.

Before he could even get out of bed, the sound of the door opening caught his attention. Glancing up suddenly, he spotted the slight crack in the door, with the familiar face of Zanthus peeking through it. Slit pupils expanded completely to see in the dark room, he immediately noticed Adam sitting up in his bed, clearly not asleep.

“I didn’t wake you, did I?” he asked gently, opening the door more so he could slip inside. 

Shaking his head, Adam kept quiet while he added. “Okay, good.”

“Where’d you go?” 

“Just out. Walked around the campus for a while, but I had to come back before the professors found a student out of their dorms.” Zanthus explained as he approached his bed. “Needed time to think, honestly.”

“Wanna talk about it?” Adam quickly offered, gesturing to the empty space at the bottom of his own bed for Zanthus to sit down.

A sudden fear of it being rejected flashed across his mind. Just as quickly as it came, however, Adam shook it off, maintaining a neutral expression while Zanthus thought about it. Thankfully, he took the offer silently and sat down in the space just by Adam’s feet.

The mattress dipped immensely under his weight. Shuffling backwards until his back hit the cold wall, he lifted one leg up with his arm resting on top of it, sitting there comfortably as they remained there in silence. Now that he was there, what Adam wanted to say completely vanished from thought. 

Staring down at the red sash tied around his waist, he focused on the gold and bronze medallion tied to it. Engraved into the chipped metal looked like his Emblem, a club shape that had three stripes going through it, like cat scratches. 

Focusing on it, he decided to come out and say what came to mind in the moment. “When were you gonna tell us about your Semblance?”

A deep sigh was his only response. It wasn’t an exhausted one, like he was sick of people pestering him, but rather it was accepting. Something that made Zanthus seem more like a weary old soldier than just a teenage boy.

“I guess…” he started. “I never really thought how I’d bring it up. It’s not exactly something you can say to people when you’re looking to be a Huntsman.”

“But there’ve been plenty before in your shoes. There’s no shame in admitting that you just haven’t unlocked it yet. Besides, it’s not like it’s gone forever.”

“Maybe, but I see all the other students who have theirs, who’ve worked hard and trained their Semblances to unimaginable feats, and it makes me wonder if I could ever truly be as good as them.” Zanthus glanced away at that. “It makes me feel like there’s something wrong with me, if my soul could…”

His voice died there. Unfinished, what he was going to say hung heavily over Adam, who could only sit there and push gently. “Could…?”

Eyes darted around the space, never once focusing on Adam himself. Even when Zanthus answered his pushing, he couldn’t bring himself to do it while making eye contact, rather staring at his hands. “Nevermind.”

“Zanthus… you don’t have to feel like you need to keep secrets from us. I mean, after talking with you so much, I hope that we can be someone that you can trust.”

“I do trust you! I never want you or Eirian or Ruri to think otherwise, it’s just…” He swallowed. “There’s just some things that I feel more comfortable keeping to myself. It’s not you, it’s just how it has to be.”

Even with the comforting words, Adam felt anything but. There was something else. Something that Zanthus just didn’t feel comfortable sharing. Either way, he couldn’t force it out in good conscience, not with the secrets he too was carrying on his back. So, just this one time, he’d give his teammate the benefit of the doubt and leave it at that.

“Alright.” He muttered back with a soft nod. 

No longer being prodded, Zanthus eased up slightly. Ears perked up, he even gave the other teenage boy a gentle smile, though Adam didn’t seem to be able to give one back, not a genuine one anyway. 

With a gentle tone, the feline Faunus piped up again. “How come you’re awake, anyway? Having a rough night?”

“You could say that.”

“I get that feeling. Wanna tell me what’s eating you?”

Before he could stop it, Adam felt his gaze shift over to his jacket hanging on the end of his bed, practically feeling the heavy weight of the scroll even though it was no longer on his person. There was no reason to keep it from Zanthus, not since he was already a big help in finding Blake either way.

“Junior got back to me.” He confessed. “He found Blake.”

“Oh. That’s great! Where is she?” Zanthus asked, contained excitement clear in his eyes. 

“He wouldn’t say over the phone. I heard that other criminals in Vale attacked his club over the news, at least that’s what they suspected, so he’s way more careful with his clients. He said he’ll text me the meet up point to talk when we get a time to meet.”

“Do you need me to come?”

“No.” The answer was quick. “I appreciate it, but I don’t need backup. It’s private, anyway.”

“Did you find your sister?” A sudden voice whispered.

Startled, Adam and Zanthus nearly fall off the bed, turning to the source of said voice to find Eirian and Ruri wide awake. The former sat on Ruri’s bed, staring straight at Adam with wide eyes. 

“Didn’t even notice you guys wake up.” Zanthus admitted.

“I heard you come in. Sorry, but… I overheard what you guys were talking about.” Eirian shared a nervous look with Ruri before continuing. “Are you sure you wanna meet with this guy? Have you watched the news?”

“I know what happened at his club. It was just a bunch of thugs from another gang. Wouldn’t be the first time criminals in any kingdom fought each other for profitable business.” Adam dismissed it completely. 

“It wasn’t just a gang fight like usual, Adam.” Eirian pressed. “People were _slaughtered._ Junior himself was sent to the hospital and his daughters are still recovering. I don’t want you getting caught in this and hurt.”

“I won’t. I don’t care who comes after Junior, all I care about is finding Blake, and he’s the only hope I have. So, I’m going.”

“Then let us come with you! If things go south, we’ll be there to watch your back.” Eirian begged.

Having people protect him wasn’t that bad of an idea, but as quickly as Adam warmed up to the idea, his mind reminded him just exactly what was at stake if they went with him. If there was any chance that they would find out who he really was, he had to snuff it out. 

So, he shook his head and rejected firmly. “No. I don’t want you guys involved in this.”

“Why not? You can trust us, we’re your friends.” Eirian paused for a moment, only adding in a concerned voice. “Even if you get what you want from Junior, then what? You can’t just leave school to go running off after her.”

That gave Adam pause.

Jaw clenched tightly, he stared down at the floor in thought, remaining quiet as Zanthus ended up adding in agreement. “She’s not wrong. If you can’t ask us or the school for help, what are you planning to do? Walk out of Beacon hoping no one will notice?”

“I’ll think of something.”

“That’s the problem, Adam. You never think things through.” Zanthus scolded. “This is just like during our Initiation. We were caught by a Nevermore, and if we followed your idea to stand our ground, we would’ve been slaughtered.”

“You forget that I ended up coming up with the plan that killed it, if it wasn’t for Eirian nearly getting herself killed in the first place.”

“Only because you listened to us when we told you that we couldn’t fight it. Maybe Eirian’s right, maybe we should come with you, even if it’s just to keep you safe.” Zanthus suggested.

No. Adam couldn’t allow it. Teeth grinding together, he couldn’t stop the anger building in his gut, his words becoming more frustrated as he snapped back. “I don’t want anyone getting hurt for me. I don’t need people watching over me.”

Zanthus tried to speak. “Adam-”

“Please.” Adam interrupted him. Finally meeting his gaze, he couldn’t stop the fear and worry from coming to light as he all but begged his team. “Just let me do this. I promise, I’ll be careful.”

There wasn’t complete faith in those eyes. Glancing away for a moment, Zanthus said nothing. None of them did. Sitting there in uncomfortable silence, they all mulled over what they had confessed to, with those words hanging over them heavily. They could never take them back. 

Maybe Adam shouldn’t have said anything. 

Finally, though, Zanthus spoke. “Okay. We’ll trust you.”

Relief washed over him in an instant. A happy sigh escaping his lips, he went to say something in response before Zanthus cut him off. “But you’ll immediately contact us when you get what you need. Let us know that you’re safe, and when you come back… we have to talk to one of the professors about this.”

“Even if it’s not Ozpin, Professor Goodwitch isn’t unreasonable. She’ll understand your situation.” Eirian added.

That gave Adam doubt. That faint smile vanishing, he grimly retorted. “I’ll try my best.”

“I guess that’s all we can ask.” Zanthus replied.

Although he was on board with Adam’s plan, the other girls did not seem so convinced. Ruri couldn’t say anything on the matter, or when she did, Adam couldn’t understand, but the serious expression on her face gave him pause. She wouldn’t run off and tell the professors ahead of time. She was his friend.

Eirian, on the other hand, seemed completely against the idea. Even though she gave the suggestion of involving Professor Goodwitch, she sat there with a deep frown, unable to even look Zanthus or Adam in the eyes before the former suggested. “Either way, we ain’t doing anything at this time of night. We should get some rest, gather our strength for classes tomorrow.”

Eirian accepted it without a word. Sliding off Ruri’s bed, she returned to her own and disappeared under the covers. Whatever was on her mind, Adam couldn’t say.

But he had more important things to worry about. With Ruri too settling back down to try and get some rest, that left him and Zanthus alone in the room again. He didn’t immediately leave the spot to go to bed. Something kept him there, and sitting there in silence only made the anxiety in Adam’s stomach worse.

“I know that this is what you’ve decided, but… I feel like I need to do something before you do.” Zanthus piped up.

Confused, Adam sat there and watched as the other boy shuffled off the bed. Approaching his own, he knelt down, rummaging through whatever he kept under the wooden framework, taking the time to not make too much noise. Whatever it was, Adam found his curiosity growing with each passing second. 

It wasn’t long before Zanthus muttered something to himself. Getting back up, he stood by where Adam was sitting, rather than sitting back down where he previously was. 

Quickly, he passed it to Adam with a quiet voice. “Here.”

Taking it, Adam held it up for him to see. In his hand, he saw an amulet dangling from his grip. It was beautifully carved. A beautiful woman adorned with gold, the back of it having Mistrali characters sketched into it while the string was decorated with beads. 

Surprised, he blurted out. “This is a Chokchai amulet.”

“I travelled all over Mistral when I was a kid.” Zanthus revealed. “We stopped in Chanthara one day. You know, the village near the bottom of the continent? At first, I thought we went there because my dad finally decided we could try our luck in Menagerie, but we left a few months after we got there.”

Silent, Adam listened intently to his story. “I remember an old man selling these in a stall. I obviously couldn’t get one, I didn’t have any money, but… he saw this poor, scruffy kid and he said ‘take this’ as he handed it to me. Said that, since Chokchai is the goddess of luck in those parts of Southern Mistral, that I could take her amulet and forever be blessed.”

“How come you’re giving it to me?”

“I guess because I really did believe in it. Yeah, it was hard, but I got through it. Maybe she really is real.” He stared at the amulet in deep thought. “Either way, I want you to have her blessing. If you go and find Blake with this, I guess I’ll feel better knowing that you’re safe.”

An awkward laugh escaped Adam’s throat as he pointed out. “I’m not exactly from Southern Mistral.”

Completely ignoring that the Mistrali came from his adopted mother, and he didn’t even _know_ what part of Mistral his biological father was from.

“True, but Northern Mistrali believe in her counterparts. They just have different names.”

He couldn’t argue with Zanthus there. Staring down at the amulet again, he held it closer to his chest, meeting his friend’s eyes while replying gratefully. “Thanks. I promise to keep it safe.”

“I know you will.” Zanthus smiled warmly. “Goodnight, Adam.”

With that, he slunk off to his own bed for the night. Adam could’ve gone to sleep at that moment. Yet he couldn’t help but stare down at the amulet in his hand, finding the way the pale moonlight reflected off the amber to be mesmerizing. 

However, the heaviness of exhaustion eventually proved too much to ignore. As he hung the amulet off the bed’s post, Adam laid his head on the pillow and stared up at the ceiling, watching the light reflecting off his new possession before his eyes drifted close. No nightmares came to haunt him. 

The sleep was short. It was enough to keep him from collapsing after leaving his bed for five minutes, but he could feel the grogginess stick to him like glue when he was forced to wake up. 

Just like every morning since he came to Beacon, the routine remained the same. Get up, get dressed, eat breakfast, go to class. That day, however, he was going through the routine in an uncomfortable silence, unable to hear Eirian’s passionate ramblings about what lesson they had for that day. She just… kept to herself.

No doubt the conversation from last night stuck with her. It did with all of them, but while Zanthus and Ruri tried to keep things normal if not for their own sanity, Eirian seemed completely incapable of doing so.

It was like she was a ghost. Just following after the group as they went to the Dinner Hall, sitting there while Zanthus and Ruri chatted away and Adam tried to finish the food on his plate. Even when they went to their lessons, she wasn’t at all engaged with what the professors were saying, staring off into the distance while Adam watched her out the corner of his eye. 

Even Oobleck’s lessons didn’t spark joy in her like it usually did. 

By the time the final bell of the day rang, Adam was practically out the door. He couldn’t focus on her anymore. He finally had time to meet up with Junior and find out where Blake was. Zanthus and Ruri didn’t stop him from bolting, packing away their own things while Zanthus suggested a tutoring lesson between them for Law. 

As soon as Adam ran through the heavy oak doors, however, someone was waiting for him on the other side.

“Mr Taurus.” Glynda’s voice spoke loudly.

Skidding to a stop, he stood there with the professor blocking his path. She stood tall, holding her riding crop in one hand while tapping her heeled foot impatiently. “I would like a word with you, if you don’t mind?”

“I’m actually heading into town now, Professor Goodwitch.” He confessed, moving past her with a quick apology. “I have to get some things for class, and I don’t wanna miss the next ship.”

Suddenly, he felt his feet drift off the ground. His entire body felt like it was levitating, the poor boy waving his arms frantically when he thought that he would topple over onto his face. Yet he didn’t. Rather, he stayed suspended in the air, slowly turning around against his will until he was face to face with Glynda.

Emerald green eyes piercing into his, she sharply replied. “I assure you, it won’t take long.”

He didn’t have much of a choice. 

Unable to stop himself, Adam was pulled down the hallway with Glynda, never able to touch the ground to try and at least slow down. As he passed by, various students glanced in his direction. They never said anything. They couldn’t, knowing that it was none of their business and simply left Adam to be guided by the professor to her office. 

Thankfully, he didn’t have to suffer from the nauseating feeling for long. Soon enough, he felt himself suddenly drop, barely balancing himself when his feet met the floor once more. 

Swaying, he righted himself enough before noticing Glynda opening the door to her office. Silently, she stared at him, waiting until he walked into the room before following after. The door shut with a heavy thud that echoed ominously through the air. 

While the office itself wasn’t as grand as the headmaster’s, it was by no means dingy. Glynda tailored it to her taste, befitting her title as Deputy Headmistress and second in command to Ozpin himself. Walls a pale offwhite, decorated with numerous pictures of previous years in Beacon, they gave the room a bright look with the giant window sitting behind her desk, letting in so much sunlight.

Dark purple curtains pinned back, he noticed the white ties themselves having green gems set into them, matching the gems that Glynda herself was wearing. Even the desk itself was grandiose, holding her work papers, computer, books, even a small crystal light that emitted deep violet light.

As she sat down behind her desk, Glynda waved her crop with a flick of her wrist. Suddenly, the books and papers that were scattered about her office started to tidy themselves up, moving with no one even touching them as they filed themselves away or floated back to the bookshelves pushed against the wall on his right. 

“Now,” she started, making herself comfortable in the giant office chair. “Do you have any idea why you’re here?”

“No, Professor.”

Her gaze turned sharp at that. “I see. I suspected that Eirian would’ve told you after her talk with Professor Melina, but I suppose she didn’t want to worry anyone. Your Law professor did give me cause for concern, and Headmaster Ozpin as well.”

“Am I in trouble?” Adam asked suddenly. 

“Not officially. We simply wanted to talk before anything did end up happening.” Her hands rested on top of her desk, polished nails tapping against mahogany wood as she continued. “Professor Melina found out that you may have been committing illegal activities while going into the city. I want you to answer me honestly here, Adam. Is what she found out true?”

He hesitated. That hesitation was definitely picked up, with Glynda adding. “I am waiting for your answer, Adam.”

“It’s not what she thinks. I’m not involved with any of the criminals.”

“Then why the secrecy? Why would a student of our Academy visit the bar of a known criminal when he had shown no interest in that behaviour beforehand?” She questioned. 

“I…”

“This is serious. Not only could the police start seeing you as an accomplice to whatever crimes Hei Xiong commits, the fact that he was brutally attacked shortly after you visited him could mean you’ll be a suspect.”

“I had nothing to do with that. It was just some criminals wanting to move in on his business, it happens all the time.” Adam felt his voice cracking with anger.

“Be that as it may, what you’ve already done is irresponsible and reckless. Not only could you damage your reputation as a Huntsman, you could’ve damaged the reputation of your Academy and your team.” Glynda scolded, pushing her glasses up with a sigh. “Why did you visit Hei Xiong?”

There was no way he could squirm out of it. 

His mouth felt dry like sand. Tongue sitting there like a useless weight, he couldn’t find the words to say, to try and make it seem not as bad as it was. She wasn’t wrong. In his desperation to find Blake, he had put everything on the line. But he had to.

He had to do it for her.

“I… needed him to find my sister.”

The confession was certainly not what Glynda was expecting. Eyebrows raised, she visibly softened at that, replying in a surprised tone. “Your sister?”

“Yes. We got separated and I came to Beacon to find her, as well as join the Academy. Someone told me that Hei Xiong was the guy to ask.” He confessed. “I didn’t want anyone to get in trouble for me. I wanted to handle it myself, and… I’m sorry that I almost hurt my team. But you gotta believe me, I had no choice.”

“You could’ve simply told us your problems. Headmaster Ozpin could’ve helped you file a missing person’s report, it’s not the first time we’ve had students try and find lost family members.” Glynda chastised.

Were the other students also running away from dangerous terrorists who wanted to kill them?

Adam didn’t say that, but the thought made him stand there with a bitter taste in his mouth. 

“Still, given the circumstances, I am relieved you’re not involved with any of the criminals here in the kingdom. Is there any news on your sister’s whereabouts?”

He couldn’t tell her the whole truth. If Glynda knew that he was going to meet with Junior right now, she’d no doubt stop the whole thing, and that wasn’t even getting into the trouble that Junior would get into for making deals with a Beacon student. This could be his only chance to find out.

“No.” He lied. 

For a moment, he worried that Glynda somehow saw right through it. The way her eyes burned into his, how she waited for him to slip even a little, it made it incredibly difficult to hold his neutral expression. 

Finally, she conceded. “Very well. I expect you to cease contact with Junior and never to repeat this again. I will talk with the Headmaster and consider filing a missing person’s report, until then, I am putting my trust in you to behave.”

“I will. Thank you, Professor.”

“You should get going, then. I wouldn’t want you to miss the ship into the city.”

Bowing to her, Adam took the hint and quickly left the room without practically running out. That was a close call. 

As he ran through the halls, barely missing some unfortunate students, he dug through the pocket of his uniform and pulled out his scroll. Peering through his messages, he found a new one sent to him from Junior.

_Sasnak Docks. 9pm. Be there._

It had already gone past six. Even with the couple of hours he had, Adam didn’t want to wait until later to go into the city, knowing that the ships started to become far less frequent later in the night. Not to mention the curfew forcing all students to return to their dorms by ten. He’d be racing against the clock as it was. 

He made his way straight for the pads where the ships were. 

Luck seemed to be on his side. As soon as he reached the landing pads, he spotted a ship waiting patiently for the students to board before it’d take off. Amongst the few remaining stragglers, he slipped into the ship with them, moving to an empty spot just as he felt the ship’s engines roar to life. 

Another trip down to the city. Seeing those same clouds pass by, he felt his hand wander to his pocket, dipping inside to grab the possession within. Rather than his scroll, however, he felt familiar beads against his skin, pulling out the amulet that Zanthus had given him. 

He didn’t know why, but having it around made him feel safer. It helped Zanthus feel safer too.

Slowly, he wrapped it around his neck, tucking it under his dress shirt before looking out the window once more. Outside, he could see the ground fast approaching. It almost made him nauseous with how much his stomach was flipping and turning. 

As soon as it landed, he immediately disembarked. Other students paid him no mind, too busy with their friends or needing to get what they needed from the city’s stores before returning to the Academy. He didn’t even give them a second thought as he walked through the packed city streets.

After months in Beacon and spending plenty of time searching the entire city, he had little difficulty finding his way to the more identifiable landmarks within the walls. Weaving through the crowds, he found that the further and further he travelled, the thinner the crowds became. Many moved onto the more popular sections of the city, and soon enough, he could see the desolation itself take over the buildings. 

More abandoned and ruined homes, with boarded up windows and eviction signs plastered on the doors. It was saddening to see. But he had to ignore it, focusing on his scroll in hopes that it would deter anyone from interacting with him. 

The evening skies started to turn darker by the time he found the meeting points. It seemed like the docks that were built on the other side of the city, but the poverty that wracked this part of the city infected Sasnak Docks itself. With abandoned warehouses and empty waters, he wandered through the maze of empty shipping containers with a straight face.

Still, the hairs on his neck stood straight up. Without Wilt, he never felt so vulnerable, holding onto his scroll with a deathly grip. It would be fine. He repeated that to himself.

It didn’t stop his sweaty palms or thumping heart. 

Passing by a particular container, he paused. On the rusted metal surface, he could still make out that symbol, that fury inducing symbol that haunted his past and made his blood boil. A snowflake. Once white in colour, it was now a disgusting, rusty orange, with the twelve points resembling the head of spears than the points of a typical snowflake. 

A scowl rested on his face. He hated that symbol, hated what it stood for, but he was not there to be angry at it. The SDC was a fight for another day. One he intended to win. 

It was then that he heard someone curse in the background. Every fiber of his being tensed, the teenager snapping his head in its direction while he barked. “Who’s there?”

No response. A moment passed where he thought that he imagined it, finding himself on edge ever since he left Beacon, but when he moved to leave and try to find the spot where Junior picked, he heard footsteps approaching him. 

As he turned back around again, he stopped. Anger was quick to flare up as he muttered. “You gotta be kidding me.”

“Hey, Adam…” Eirian awkwardly waved. 

Glaring at her, he stood there as she approached him, immediately spotting her weapon hanging on her belt. Eyes immediately focusing on her face again, she put her hand forward to him while joking nervously. “Some place. Wish he picked a less obviously suspect place to talk to us.”

Suddenly, he slapped her hand away.

“Hey!” She scolded, retracting the hand before shaking it gingerly. “That was some slap.”

“Have you been following me?!” 

Her pout vanished at that. Guilty, she didn’t bother trying to lie. “I saw Professor Goodwitch take you to her office. I just wanted to make sure you were okay, so I followed you from Beacon.”

“Eirian, I _told you_ I don’t want anyone involved in this!” He snapped. “Go home!”

“Look, I just couldn’t let a friend wander into a place like this without a weapon and backup. What would’ve happened if the people who attacked Junior decided to attack you too?!” 

“That’s another thing, you brought a weapon into the city! You know that’s against the law!”

Eirian started getting annoyed. “Okay, maybe I broke the law-!”

“ _Maybe?!_ ”

“-but if it means I can help you, I don’t care! Look, I brought yours, too!” She turned her head away, reaching behind to something strapped to her back while Adam stood dumbfounded. 

As she pulled out his weapon, holding it in both hands, she held it out to him with a smile. “See? Now we can protect ourselves if something happens.”

“Go back to the dorms, Eirian. I don’t want you here.” He growled through gritted teeth. 

As he turned away, he hoped that the argument ended there. Unfortunately, it wasn’t, with Eirian running after him with annoyance clear in her voice.

“I don’t get it, why are you pushing us away so much? After all that talk about being a team? Accepting Zanthus’ help to find Junior in the first place? What is it about this one meeting that you suddenly don’t want us around?”

“This is just something that I need to do myself. Go home.” He pushed, approaching Eirian quickly.

She didn’t back down. No longer scared, she stood her ground, unmoving even when Adam placed a hand on her shoulder and urged her. “Please.”

“I’m not going anywhere. Not when there’s even the slightest chance you could get hurt.”

“Well, well, well.” A voice called out. “Isn’t that just the sweetest?”

That voice. Adam’s blood ran cold as he stood there, unable to even bring himself to turn around to the person behind him. Even Eirian’s confidence vanished when she saw how scared he was. 

Slowly, he turned his head, unable to say anything as the person behind him chuckled. “Hey there, Adam. Miss me?”

“Iya?” He whispered harshly.

She wasn’t on the ground with them. Perched on top of one of the containers, she stared down at the two students with the widest grin on her face, resting her arms on her knees comfortably. She looked like she was welcoming an old friend rather than someone she should’ve killed long before letting her presence be known. 

“In the flesh. You know, it’s been a while. Got worried you forgot about us.”

“Us?” Adam shot back.

Those piercing eyes glanced over to the side. Adam immediately noticed it, holding onto his sword with a tight grip as more footsteps echoed through the air. With the sun dipping below the horizon, and the evening skies darkening to night, the shadow between the containers hid everything that hid there.

Slowly, a massive leather boot stepped out of the darkness. The hulking figure towered over him, and it was only a second before Adam recognised that familiar white mask staring blankly back at him. 

“Banesaw.” His voice was barely a whisper.

He said nothing. Fully out of the shadows, he stood a few feet from where Adam and Eirian were, staring intently while Iya carried on talking.

“Hope you’ve enjoyed your time around here. Honestly, never would’ve thought you’d go to the Huntsmen Academies.” She laughed to herself. “You know, it’s been pretty boring with you gone.”

“Adam, who’re these guys?” Eirian muttered to him, her hand moving to behind her slowly.

“Adam, you heartless bitch, you didn’t tell her about us? I’m hurt!” Iya pretended to gasp.

With his arm out, he guided Eirian further behind her, unable to stop the panic from coursing through his body as the psychotic woman addressed his teammate directly. “We used to run with your friend here. Did a lotta shit together, and he was pretty good at it! And then he lost his heart and jumped ship.”

“Decided to finally work with a human, Adam?” Banesaw growled out. 

“Yeah, the fuck’s with that anyway? Not five minutes ago, you were turning humans into makeshift pin cushions, and what? Now you’re buddies with them?” Iya agreed. “You can’t break character, Adam! Think about the poor heartbreak you’ll give poor Kaa?”

Eirian seemed to be addressing Iya more than Adam as she muttered out. “Kaa?”

“Yeah, Kaa. The head bitch of our faction here in the White Fang.”

Everything felt numb. Adam couldn’t stop the horror from showing on his face, unable to even look at Eirian as he heard her gasp from behind him. 

Iya stared down at him. Somehow, that sick grin grew even more twisted, her tone turning softer as she cooed. “Oh… You never told them.”

“Eirian, I…” He desperately tried to think, turning to face her with a panicked look. “I didn’t want anyone to find out.”

She looked horrified. His worst fears came true, his dark secrets were out, and there was nothing he could do to take it back. Now that Banesaw and Iya were there, Eirian was in danger. Once again, he _failed._

“Welp, cat’s out the bag!” Iya nonchalantly replied in the background. 

Something started to click there. Slowly, Adam turned to Banesaw, unable to hide the fear as he came out and asked him. “That attack on Junior’s club. Was the White Fang involved with that?”

“For legal reasons, no, Kaa didn’t tell us to get involved with Baby Bear and his lil’ cubs.” Iya confessed. “We just needed him for something.”

“...What? What could you possibly need to justify massacring so many people? Hospitalising two girls and nearly putting the kingdom in panic over feared increased gang wars?!” Adam snapped.

From beside him, he heard Banesaw simply retort. “Blake.”

His heart stopped at that.

“Yeah, we should thank you for that, by the way. Turns out Junior is waaaay better at finding people than we are.” Iya joked. 

“What’re you talking about?” Adam felt the desperation growing with each passing second.

“Junior wouldn’t work for the White Fang. So when a sweet, innocent Faunus boy who wants to be a Huntsman comes in, hat in hand and desperate to find his poor missing sister…” Iya stood up completely with that, staring down with that grin. “You gave us the perfect opportunity to have someone else do our work.”

No. No, no, no.

Adam refused to believe it. He couldn’t, standing there with horror on his face, unable to retort as Iya continued to taunt him. “You wanna know where Blake was? Vacuo. Left for it a couple of months ago, and tried to hide it out in the mountains. But I wouldn’t go running off if I was you.”

“Why?”

Iya’s grin stretched from ear to ear. “‘Cause we killed her.”

Everything stopped. Numb. Spreading through his body, he couldn’t feel, unable to comprehend what was just told to him. It didn’t make sense. He couldn’t believe it. He wanted to _refuse_ to believe it. With as much hate in his heart, he spat back venomously. “You’re lying.”

She was unaffected by the sudden shift in his tone. Bored, she leaned her head to the side, watching Adam breaking down in front of her, like it was just some show that she was only partially interested in.

Slowly, her hand moved to her back. Adam tightened his grip, ready to move as soon as he saw the slightest of movement to strike. From the corner of his eye, Banesaw refused to move, leaning against the container with his gaze focused entirely on the students.

Suddenly, the sound of metal clattering across the concrete ground rang in the air. Standing there, Adam looked down at what Iya had tossed down to him, unsure what to expect until he got a good look. And then that was it. The sight of it had his breath stop and blood feel like ice, the way his stomach dropped leaving him nauseous and devastated all in one. 

Blake’s weapon. Snapped in half.

There was no denying it. He had seen that weapon more times than he could count, he would recognise it like it was his own, and to see it completely broken in front of him destroyed any doubt that was left in his mind.

They killed her. They found and _killed his little sister._

Without a second thought, Adam let out a heart wrenching wail and drew his sword. It happened in a flash. Red light blinding those around him, the container Iya was standing on was split in two, the halves screeching across the ground before coming to a stop.

He didn’t stop to think. As soon as he saw Iya landing on another container, completely unscathed, he ran for her. Eirian’s voice called after him, but it fell on deaf ears. 

The maze of containers were a battlefield of different layers for the swift fighters. While Adam jumped across the containers, dodging some of Iya’s dives and swipes, she was on a whole ‘nother level to him. Practically a blur, she kept her distance from Adam’s swipes. The open skies were the perfect advantage for her. 

As soon as he neared her, she vanished. His sword met air. For a moment, the air was still, and then Adam felt sharp pains in his body. Blows hitting him everywhere, too fast for him to react.

Sharp talons dug into his blazer as he was lifted into the air. Feet kicking out in blind panic, he looked up to see Iya smirking down at him. Huge wings flapped, the winds howling in Adam’s ears as she carried him higher and higher, clearly intending to drop him and let gravity do the work for her. 

He couldn’t let her take him too high. Glancing down to see an abandoned crane below, he gripped his sword tightly and, without a second thought, jammed the blade into the ankle joint of Iya’s left foot. 

Sparks flew as metal grated against metal, causing Adam to flinch away as the talons in Iya’s left foot weakened. That temporary weakness was enough for him. 

Struggling, he felt Iya’s grip loosen, and all of a sudden he was falling. The wind was loud in his ears and blew through his hair, the feeling of freefalling heartstopping yet exhilarating. That had to come to an end. All of a sudden, Adam yelled out in pain when his back slammed into the crane, one of his arms falling through the metal framework.

Much to his horror, his grip on his sword loosened too much, and he dropped the weapon down to the ground far below. 

There was no time to stop. As soon as he landed, he looked up to see Iya diving straight for him, rolling in time for the talons to slam into the spot he just occupied. His reflection mirrored back to him in her prosthetics, he stared back at it for a moment, before trying to climb away from the erratic woman.

Shouts of anger were all she made, chasing after the student as they rolled and tumbled all the way down the steep crane. Barely dodging her swipes and lunges, Adam rolled down to near where the cab was, managing to get to his feet before Iya’s talons hit him square in the chest. The blow threw him backwards, slamming right into the glass window of the cab.

Glass cracked on the impact. Even with his Aura holding strong, the attack itself knocked the air from his lungs. Breathless, he could barely roll when he saw those same talons coming straight for him, slipping from the cab down to the ground below.

He didn’t even hit the ground before Iya attacked him again. Feet grabbing him tightly, she used hers and Adam’s momentum to slam him into the ground harder. 

Body bouncing off the ground a few inches, he couldn’t even cry out in pain. Eyes scrunched closed, he had to force them to open, feeling that tight grip on his blazer as Iya stood over him. Without a word, she took flight again, dragging his battered body with her as she soared through the abandoned docks. 

Where Eirian was or how she was faring was the last thing on his mind. Before he could even react, Iya threw him through the air, and paused mid flight as he slammed straight into one of the warehouse’s unboarded windows. Glass shattered, echoing through the stagnant air, and Adam was left lying there in its broken shards, wracked with pain.

He couldn’t lay there for long. He had to get up, he had to keep fighting, or he _and_ Eirian would quickly join Blake on their list.

Each muscle screamed in agony as he forced himself to move, staggering to his feet as he looked around the room he was thrown into. It seemed to be an old office. Everything was already removed save for abandoned desks, and a few unopened crates that were left behind. Limping towards one, he noticed something on top, quickly grabbing it without much care.

A crowbar. Heavy and awkward compared to his sword, but he needed a weapon. 

Suddenly, he heard something behind him, and without a second thought, dove to hide behind one of the desks. His heart hammered away, blood thumping in his ears with his breathing quickening. Adrenaline had kicked in hard. Hands shook as they gripped the crowbar, Adam unmoving from his hiding spot when he heard crunching glass, like something stood on it.

“Adam~” Iya’s voice called out softly. “Come out. I ain’t allowed to kill ya, but Kaa said nothing about me plucking out your other eye~”

Kaanchana stopped her soldiers from hunting him? Confusion weighed heavily on him, wondering what was so special about him that he could live but Blake had to die. 

Why? What made him so different to the leader?

Teeth grit together as he listened closely. Closer and closer, the woman approached him, searching for him. His heart was in his mouth at that point.

As soon as he saw those familiar talons poking from around the desk, he swung. 

The sound of metal hitting flesh filled him with relief. Iya’s head snapped to the side, her Aura flashing with that blow like flickering light. Not quite broken. 

As she turned back to face him, the look on her face stole all the confidence Adam had left. That smile was gone. Instead, she stared at him with dark eyes, her irises so tiny that he couldn't even make out her pupils, and a deep frown that filled him with dread. Backing away slightly, he stood his ground as she growled in a low tone. “Wrong choice.”

There, she struck. Both locked in a desperate battle of fists, Adam finding the heavy crowbar hindering his speed while the enclosed space stopped Iya from taking flight. He needed to keep her grounded.

She dodged one of his over the head swings, the crowbar smacking into the desk behind her and splintering the rotting wood. A brutal kick to the abdomen sent Adam backwards. Pain radiated through his entire lower body, the digging discomfort worsening when he was backed up into a wall. In a split second, he jumped to the floor, watching as Iya’s foot went straight through the unstable wall.

“Fucking dammit!” She cursed loudly.

The warehouse was falling apart. Something clicked in Adam’s head, his eyes darting over to the office door. 

With a quick glance at the pinned Iya, he made a run for it. Rolling over the desk in his way, he stumbled as he landed on the floor, maintaining his balance enough to get through the door and slam it shut behind him. He needed time. 

Breathing heavily, he rushed to a heavy looking file cabinet by it. Hands pressed against the cold metal, he gave it a push, grunting in exertion from just how _heavy_ it was. Pain sparked in his back and shoulders from the movement. He had to push through, grit his teeth, and just…

With a loud grunt, he felt the cabinet fall over, landing right in front of the door. Perfect. 

Except for when the door lurched forward with force. The cabinet felt it in place, but the sheer power behind it had Adam jumping back, before he could even hear the irate screaming from behind it. Iya was not happy. 

Backing away, he needed a plan. Anything. Yet pain and exhaustion played havoc on his mind, his body shaking, and even his Aura was losing that burning fire inside his soul. He could feel it diminish with each passing second. He didn’t have much time. At that moment, he wished Ruri and Zanthus were there by his side. 

The warehouse he was in was a typical one. As he ran through the winding hallways and down the steep staircases, he could hear Iya’s frantic beating on the door through the whole building. It wouldn’t be long.

When he reached the work floor, he skidded to a stop when he finally heard the door give way. From where the office was a floor above him, the cabinet he had pushed to block the door flew right over the railing, crashing down to the ground with a deafening sound. The bent metal object only landed a few feet away from the injured student.

Oh no. 

High above him, Iya now had the space needed to finally take flight, hovering there as she searched for the boy. Quickly, Adam ducked behind a couple of crates. He didn’t think she saw him. 

Crowbar hugged tight to his chest, he peeked around the crate he was hiding behind. She wasn’t using her Semblance at that moment. A giant target up above, there was no way he could reach her and there was no way he could make a run for the entrance that was so tauntingly close to him. There had to be a way around her.

Looking for that way, he noticed something hanging up above where Iya was hovering. Crates. Tied to palettes and suspended high above the ground, they must had been abandoned when the warehouse was closed. There had to be controls that controlled the machinery holding them up. 

Slowly, he snuck around the crates, keeping to the shadows of the warehouse while Iya shouted out impatiently. “Come on, Adam. We both know I’m a busy woman. Just come on out and take the ass whooping, and I might even let you live!”

He bit his tongue. 

Up the stairs. Along the hallways. He tried to stay as quiet as possible, listening to Iya’s angry ranting to determine where she was. Keep talking. 

Finally, he noticed a closed door by him. The bronze plague that had the name on it had long been covered in grime and dust, but he could just make out the words engraved into it. _Machinery Controls._ Just what he was looking for. 

_Don’t be locked. Don’t be locked._ He thought to himself. 

The knob jiggled as he tried to turn it. Fear spread through his gut, stomach dropping at the thought of not getting in, but in that instant, the knob turned all the way with a faint _click._ Relief washed over him, his held breath coming out as a sigh before he entered the room. 

It looked just as dingy and gross as every other room. Trying not to think of having to touch much while there, he immediately made a beeline for the obvious control board that was situated in front of a giant bay window. From where he stood, he could see the entire shop floor of the warehouse, and more importantly, he could see where Iya was. 

She moved around fast, dipping and diving around the hanging crates as she continued to search for her target. She didn’t notice him yet.

Wait. Patience was what he needed, his hands shaking as he gripped the controls. He needed her in the right position. Watching her intently, he tried to ignore her harsh words, focusing on the opportune moment that he needed. Wait…

She stopped. Without hesitating, Adam hit one of the buttons on the control board, hoping that it was the right one. The whirling of machines coming to life spooked both of them. There, he watched as the palette of crates dropped. 

The wrong ones. 

“Shit, shit shit.” He swore to himself, looking down at the controls with panic setting in. 

It was too late. The crates fell down to the ground, shattering to pieces with metal bars flying everywhere. 

Iya jumped off to the side in fright, looking down at the destroyed crate before slowly turning her head to the giant window Adam was standing behind. His heart stopped when their eyes met. 

Before he could move, the window shattered loudly, and he felt talons gripping his blazer before he was slammed into the wall again. A pained yelp escaped his lips. Hands gripped her prosthetic legs, trying desperately to get her to release him, but it was too strong for him to fight. 

There, he was thrown to the floor. Landing on his side, he barely moved onto his back before Iya was on top of him, face to face with the horned Faunus as he was pinned underneath her. That same grin returned, but it barely resembled a smile anymore. Manic, her teeth were on full display.

“Gotcha…” Her voice was a spine chilling whisper. 

He couldn’t lose. He had to get out of there.

Without thinking, Adam’s head lurched forward. His thick, curved horns slammed straight into her nose, Iya shouting out in pain as her head snapped backwards. His chance.

Grabbing her shirt, he flipped them around, straddling the woman as he punched her hard across the face. The blows were unrelenting, barely giving Iya time to react before she was hit again. The pain in his knuckles didn’t stop him, nor did the ache in his arms or the fire in his lungs with each breath. 

A knee to his ribs had Adam grunting in pain. The blow made him pause, but it was that moment that Iya took as she headbutted him, putting enough space between them so that she could hook a foot between them and kick the teenager away. 

Back slamming into the control panels, he lifted his head in time to see Iya charging straight for him. Her whole body collided into his. The force of her wings flapping, along with the charge, and he found both of them tumbling out of the window and falling down to the shop floor below. 

Wings spread out, and much to Adam’s horror, her shirt slipped from his grip and he was left to fall down to the floor alone. 

As his body slammed against the ground, he felt his Aura shatter completely. Crimson red light flickered across his body, drifting from him like fragments of light. Shattered glass echoed in his ears. Yet that was not the worst of it. Searing pain spread up from his right thigh, the agony leaving him lying there with cries of pain.

Shaking uncontrollably, he looked down to see what had happened. There, his eyes widened in horror, finding exactly what had been causing that unbelievable pain. 

His right leg was stained completely in his blood. Pinned up higher than his other leg, he couldn’t take his eyes off the thick metal bar that had impaled him right through the thigh. Each shake jolted a new wave of pain, leaving Adam sweating and needing to throw up just from the sight of it. 

There was no way to remove it. Trapped, he found a more pressing issue with Iya approaching him. 

Staring at the bar that had impaled him through his leg, she couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. “Oh, ain’t that a bunch of shit luck.”

Next to him, she placed a hand on top of the bar, moving it around while Adam could just hold back screams of agony.

“Hurts, huh?” She taunted. “You know, I could let you go just for this, but…”

Her grin widened. “I believe payback for the beatdown on my face is in order.”

“You said Kaanchana won’t allow you to kill me.” Adam gasped, desperate for her to stop touching the bar.

“I mean, you’re right.” She agreed. “But being a student at Beacon has its dangers. You’ve unfortunately met your end trying to right your wrongs. Torn apart by Beowolves, Dust lessons gone wrong... Bleeding out from a leg injury.”

“Don’t!” He couldn’t help but beg when he saw her grabbing the top of the bar.

“You know, that’s exactly how Blake looked when we caught up with her. She gave her best but I guess Daddy didn’t train his kid how to fight that good.” 

Adam’s face turned into a snarl at that. Swiping at her, she was amused by his attempts. “Always a scrapper. Wish you didn’t go, Adam. You were just starting to have fun.”

“Fuck you.”

“Watch your language. What would your mother say?” She mused for a moment. “Want me to send her something from you to tell her the bad news? I’ll do it free of charge, anything for a friend.”

He didn’t reply. Trying to sit up, he could see his vision start to darken around the corners, the pain becoming too much to handle with Iya messing around with the intruding object in his leg. 

Suddenly, her grip lessened, leaving Adam gasping as he looked up at what happened. There, he noticed something flying in Iya’s face. Wings fluttered in frustration, the woman swatting at it with annoyance and confusion clear in her voice. “The fuck’s thi-?”

A sudden explosion cut her off. The force alone threw her far from Adam, Iya crashing into some crates that broke from impact, leaving a pile of rubble with Iya’s feet clearly sticking out. 

Stunned, Adam couldn’t understand what just happened. 

Then it clicked.

“Eirian.” He whispered to himself, looking over his shoulder to see if she was there. She was nowhere to be seen.

She must have sent the bird to save him. It saved his life, and knowing that she was still looking out for him filled Adam up with enough determination for him to get up on his feet. 

His Aura broke and his leg impaled severely hindered him. There was no way he could remove it, not without risking him bleeding out right then and there, so he had no choice but to leave it in. Still, it _hurt_ like nothing before.

Each limp felt like white hot fire burning through his leg and up his hip. Sweat rolled down his face, his breathing becoming labored as he finally managed to stumble out of the warehouse. Beaten, bloody, but alive.

He had to stay that way. Scroll in hand, he could barely type out his location to Zanthus before hitting send. There was no time to rest, even with reinforcements coming.

He had to go and find Eirian.


	16. Caught In The Cross Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hidden pasts has come to life, and now Eirian had to deal with the truth. The White Fang, the group that everyone hated and feared, has connections to Adam. As she tries to protect herself and her leader, the consequences to their actions is a steep price to pay.

The White Fang.

Eirian didn’t want to believe it. For a moment, she was ready to accept what this woman was spewing were lies, vile accusations to discredit her leader, her  _ friend.  _ But when Adam turned around, so full of fear and trying his best to explain, rather than straight out denying it, she couldn’t understand. 

Adam said he was never with them. She stood there and listened with empathy when he explained his past to the group. Was that all a lie? Could anything he told her be something she could believe anymore?

Now he had chased after her. That same grief and anger in his eyes that she knew well, that she could understand. But now was not the time to stop him.

As soon as she tried to give chase, that man, Banesaw she recalled Adam calling him, he stopped her. All she could do was backflip to avoid a sudden punch, landing on one knee as she looked up with wide eyes. The speed of his strike was manageable, she had dealt with faster opponents, but the strength behind it gave her pause.

His entire arm had sunk into the container she was standing beside. Right up to his elbow, he pulled it out like it was nothing, approaching Eirian with a brisk gait while the dark skin around his arm lightened up to match the rest of his body.

His Semblance? Whatever it was, Eirian knew she couldn’t let him get a blow on her. 

Her sword flipped around her hand, the rifle compartment jutting out the sheathe while she narrowed her eyes. Banesaw rushed again. Fists swinging in a controlled manner, one whistling past Eirian’s face, just missing her nose, as she leaned backwards. The force behind it had her heart stopping for a second. 

His blows came from experience. An uppercut that missed, but as Eirian shot to the left to dodge it, she felt a foot kick her right in the chest. The sheer power sent her fragile body flying backwards. Pain exploded in her back, a pained yelp escaping her lips when she slammed straight into one of the containers.

A loud bang rang through the air, her ears ringing as she knelt there stunned. Eyes scrunched tightly together. No damage done, but Gods did that  _ hurt.  _

As soon as she opened her eyes, she had to flinch backwards on instinct, watching as another fist punched into the container. It didn’t pierce the thick metal that time. Still, it dented terribly, leaving a sizable crater behind. That was too close.

She couldn’t fight this strength. Not hand to hand, anyway. So, hand in her back pouch, Eirian immediately turned on her heel and ran off. It was impossible to not hear the heavy footsteps that gave chase.

The containers were a maze. Towering over her, she couldn’t see anything going on save either above her or right in front of her, unknowing if she would run into any more trouble with each corner she shot around. With those footsteps growing closer, she didn’t have much time to dwell. She had to think fast. 

She tossed a couple of birds to the ground, her Aura flaring, and immediately stood on top of them. There, she soared up into the skies. 

Finally, she could get the survey of the land. Looking around frantically, she couldn’t help the crippling fear from taking hold when she couldn’t find Adam, unable to stop the intrusive thoughts from running through her head. He could have been captured, hurt,  _ worse.  _ Iya didn’t seem like the woman Eirian would willingly trade blows with. 

Suddenly, a sharp cry reached her ears. Her head snapped in the direction, searching frantically until she noticed a small figure hanging off a nearby crane for life. Adam. 

He wasn’t faring well. Eirian tried to rush to help him, not thinking twice about it, but her birds flew backwards suddenly. Confusion only lasted a second when a massive broken part of a container flew past her. She felt herself fall backwards, barely able to correct herself as she turned her attention back to her own opponent. 

Even though he was stuck down on the ground below, Banesaw was not out of the fight. An angry sigh, she glared down at him and raised her rifle, steadying herself on her birds before diving down to him. 

She never met him head on. Dipping down between the containers, she kept just out of his reach, firing down at him while releasing more of her birds. A couple diving down at him, the shot that she fired from her rifle hit its mark, with the explosion rumbling the ground and shaking the containers around.

Dust hid everything down on the ground from her sight, pushing Eirian to pause with bated breath, hoping that it had at least deterred the White Fang member long enough for her to go and help Adam.

Slowly, the dusty mask lifted. Her heart sank when she saw him still standing. Arms crossed in front of his face, he lowered them slightly, showing off that mask that hid away his face. She couldn’t even tell if he was angry or actually worried after seeing what she could do. Given how his clawed fingers clenched into fists, she could feel the controlled rage practically seeping from him. 

She fired again. Even with the distance between them, she could see the bullet hit its target, and bounce right off. Sparks flew when the bullet hit the dark patch of Banesaw’s arm. The sight of it gave Eirian pause, what was that? Was it made of metal?

It certainly wasn’t the usual effect from ammunition hitting Aura. 

He gave chase. Faster than he was before, he was a hard pursuer to deter, running through the maze of containers as Eirian flew as fast as she could. She passed by a stacked tower of containers, glancing back at see Banesaw not too far behind. Something clicked in her head

Hand in her pouch, she threw a couple of statues towards the stack. Animated birds nestled on the corrugated metal, ignored by Banesaw as he passed them by. Another shot from Eirian’s rifle. A loud explosion that rumbled the ground, and she watched as those same containers collapsed down where the White Fang lieutenant was standing. 

Much to her surprise, he stopped and looked up at the giant container that was about to fall on him. She didn’t know why. Confused, that uncertainty vanished when he pulled his fist back and punched the container, the force behind it sending shockwaves all around. Hands shot up to protect her face, but it was the sudden jerk of her birds that had Eirian stumbling before falling too far backwards.

Her balance tipped. Only able to give a quick shout of fright, she slammed right into the top of one of the containers. Pain blossomed up and down her back, the back of her head tender from where it hit the hard metal, leaving her stunned with spots dancing in her vision. 

Suddenly, a shadow appeared above her. Without thinking, she rolled out of the way, seeing a foot stomp down near her head. On instinct, she slashed at the heel. Aura protected flesh, but the blow knocked Banesaw down to his knee, stunning him long enough for Eirian to get back to her feet. 

Even on his knees, he still towered over her, his hulking frame giving off that dangerous aura that had Eirian shrinking back in fear. Hands shook slightly as she gripped her sword, pushing that fear down when Banesaw got back up from his temporary injury. 

The blade of her weapon snapped back into place. Moonlight shining off the silver steel, she raised it to in front of her, waiting patiently, watching for his next move. Even when he stared down at her, blocking out the shattered moon behind him, she didn’t back down. Despite the fear screaming at her to retreat.

Feet moved on their own, Eirian leaning to the left to avoid a swing before sliding across the floor. Her smaller frame slipped right between Banesaw’s spread legs.

As he looked over his shoulder at her, he was suddenly greeted with the same birds that were supporting Eirian before flying right into his face. A few wild swipes, another explosion had him thrown over a dozen feet from where he once stood. That hulking frame landed hard. A rough tumble that shook the container, before he fell down onto the concrete floor below. 

A moment of rest. An exhausted sigh fell from her lips, the muscles in Eirian’s arms aching as she lowered her sword. Even though all her body wanted to do was stop and sit down, even for a moment, there was no way she could risk it. From what she saw, Banesaw wouldn’t stay down for long. 

She had to find Adam. Sparing only a quick glance down where Banesaw fell off, she took off in the opposite direction, towards the crane. Hopefully, he was still there. 

It wasn’t hard to spot the crane down on the ground. The looming heavy machinery is a dark silhouette against the stark white moon, its rusted metal illuminated from starlight. Yet, her teammate was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Iya. It was hard to stop the worry from twisting in her gut. 

Jumping across a wide gap, she landed down on another container, looking everywhere for Adam. Suddenly, a sparkle of red caught her eye. What was that?

Pumps hit the concrete floor. Immediately, she ran over to the object that caught her attention, slowing down when she got a good enough look at it. Long slender blade, the red shining in the moonlight, she gingerly picked it up and examined the chipped metal with shock. Adam’s sword. He wouldn’t willingly abandon it.

That wasn’t good. 

She searched around the area, shoving the sword in her sheath for safe keeping. There, she spotted a nearby warehouse, looking over the boarded windows and abandoned crates outside before noticing something. One of the windows was broken. It wasn’t unusual, especially for the part of the city they were in, but the fact that it was on the third floor seemed strange. 

There wasn’t much time to dwell on it. Hands suddenly grabbed hold of the back of her shirt, the world flipping upside down with the feeling of being flying overwhelmed. Her feet no longer touched the ground, instead kicking out wildly, desperate to find any sort of floor to stand on. The rough concrete scraped her skin and bruised her skin, her body rolling uncontrollably as she was powerless to stop herself.

Curved sword in hand, she stabbed the ground with it, wincing when the metal screeched against the concrete and sparks flew up into her face. It worked, though. Her body came to a quick stop, but the beating she was taking was finally having a toll on her. That burning fire inside her was simmering out. 

Even standing up was proving difficult. Knees shaking, she looked up to see just how far she was thrown, noticing the large gouge in the ground from where her sword stabbed it. He’d thrown her far enough that the warehouse looked just like a typical house in the distance. 

Her hand checked her pouches, rummaging through each of them as she felt her desperation grow. The long fight had depleted her almost entirely. Pulling the last one she had left, she looked down at it, unsure what to do. Time was running out. Banesaw approached quickly, his shadow all she could see coming towards her.

With the last of her Aura, she fed it into the statue. Exhaustion made her body weak, barely able to keep her standing, but she held on. As soon as that familiar little bird in her hand started to breathe its first breath, she held it up to her face and whispered. “Go save Adam. In the warehouse.”

Order in mind, it tweeted softly and took flight, rushing to the warehouse as fast as it could. She could only hope it reached him in time.

But without Aura and nearly dropping down right there, she had to focus on her own fight. Sword shifting into its rifle form, she held it close, only able to watch Banesaw hone in on her with dread. The wind blew through the docks. A harsh gale, she heard the deep groaning of metal up above. Eyes darted up, and there she saw it.

A container dangling high above. Whether Banesaw noticed it or not, she couldn’t say, but an idea popped into her mind. Slowly, she backed away, always keeping an eye on the White Fang member as he followed suit. Hidden eyes trained on her, he didn’t seem to notice the container even when he was right under it. 

“Gotcha.” Eirian muttered to herself as she took the shot.

Momentarily, Banesaw stalled, raising his arms in preparation for the gunshot, but it never hit him. Even though his face was hidden, the confusion practically radiating off him as he looked around. There, he too heard the ominous groaning from above. 

As soon as he looked up, it was too late. The metal chain holding the container up to the loading crane snapped, and the heavy looking object came crashing down right on top of him. He could only raise his arms before the container dropped and dust kicked up violently. Eirian raised her arm, coughing harshly as some of that dust got trapped in her lungs. 

Finally, she lowered her arm again, looking at the scene with a shaky sigh. The air after the fight was quiet, and she could feel the aftereffects of adrenaline take its toll. 

Legs gave way. Falling down onto her behind, she sat there on the ground, panting softly while trying to stop her hands from shaking so much. The clatter of her sword hitting the ground was loud in her ears. 

She wasn’t out of the woods yet, not when she was down one teammate and there was still a dangerous criminal around. Her Aura broken, her statues depleted, and even the spare ammunition she carried running low, she knew she couldn’t do it alone. So, she fished her scroll out of her pouch and looked through the contacts frantically.

There. The dialing tone had her on edge, desperate for the person to pick up. Please, just pick up.

The relief she felt was indescribable when a voice answered on the other end of the call. “What’s up, sweet pea?”

“D-Dad, I need your help.” She gasped. “I’m in Sasnak Docks. White Fang are here, they attacked Adam and I-I don’t know where he is!”

“Woah, woah. Slow down. Did you say the White Fang are in the city?” Icheku sounded serious. 

“Y-yeah, they’re here for Adam. One of them got him and took him somewhere! I-I think I just killed one.” The idea of having taken a life made her stomach hurl.

“Don’t panic. I’m coming to you now.”

Even though he tried to comfort her, the fight she had just been through left her scattered and shaking. Tears pricked in the corners of her eyes as she whimpered. “I lost all my friends. I don’t have any Aura.  _ Please,  _ hurry.”

“I’ll be there. Just stay on the phone with me.”

Nodding her head, her voice cracked as she replied. “Okay.”

What Icheku said was lost on her when she heard banging behind her. Dread creeped up her spine, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up when she looked back. There, she saw dents in the container that she had just dropped. Huge dents in the corrugated metal, they appeared with each bang ringing through the air. 

A hand suddenly burst through. Flesh as dark as onyx, clawed fingers dug into the metal, shallow grooves following as they scraped across the surface. Another hand pushed out, gripping the hole as it stretched out considerably. Eirian couldn’t move. Terror and exhaustion wracked her body, leaving her sitting there while Banesaw stepped out of the hole he had just made.

Though he was a little worse for wear, with his uniform dishevelled and a few cuts in the white fabric, he stood tall and strong. There was no weakness in his step when he approached her again.

Cast in his shadow, all the words in Eirian’s throat died, leaving her speechless while Icheku’s voice continued to call out in increasing panic. “Sweet Pea? Eirian? Eirian, are you there?!”

Without a word, Banesaw snatched the Scroll from her hand. As she heard her father carry on trying to get her to speak, she couldn’t do anything while the lieutenant dropped the Scroll on the floor and stood on it. The quiet crunch of glass and metal felt like it was deafening.

“I can respect the fight you have given me,” he spoke, his voice a guttural growl. “But it’s now  _ over. _ ”

Staring into those black holes of his mask, Eirian couldn’t stop her thoughts from being spoken. “Why’re you doing this?”

“It’s none of your concern. This is what I have to do, but I’m not here to kill Adam.”

“Then why are you here?!”

“To stop Iya from doing it instead.” He gestured to the city just outside the docks. “You can leave with your life. I’m not here to kill another human.”

The grip on her sword tightened. Eyes narrowing, she slowly got up to her feet, wobbling slightly before she shot back. “I’m not letting you hurt him.”

Blade flipping back into place, she moved to strike. Her movement was slowed, sloppy, but she was still faster than Banesaw. With a swipe of his claws being deflected, Eirian spun around and dropped to a knee, slicing through Banesaw’s side with her blade before rolling away. The man was a walking tank. His Aura showed no sign of breaking, and even though he felt every blow, there was nothing showing saved for annoyed grunts and snarls. 

With both hands on the handle, she swung for the muscular neck, seeing an opening. Suddenly, her sword stopped midswing. 

Her stomach dropped to the pits of her gut when she saw his hand wrapped around the sharp blade. His skin dark, the sound of metal hitting metal was loud in her ears, but that was the least of her worries. Before she could even try to pull her sword out, his other hand shot forward and grabbed her wrist.

It was tight enough to hurt. Skin already bruising under his grip, she was forced to drop her only defense. It didn’t even hit the ground before he slammed a palm right into Eirian’s forearm. 

The snap was sickening, but it was the agony that flared up her arm that was the worst. A scream tore her throat. When he dropped it, the pain worsened, feeling like her own muscles were being torn apart. She would’ve collapsed to the ground right there and then if his hand didn’t wrap around her throat.

Lifting her up into the air, she dangled there, choking with feet kicking out in blind panic. The lack of air burned her lungs. Darkness started forming in the corners of her vision, growing worse as all fight in her began to fade away. She didn’t want to die like this. 

Violent kicking slowed to feeble twitches. The worst thing was staring down at that mask, unable to see if choking her to death even had any effect on Banesaw. Those blank holes stared back with no hint of guilt or hesitation. 

All of a sudden, she was dropped to the ground. Over the heavy thumping of blood in her ears, along with her heavy gasping, she couldn’t hear much, but that grunt of pain and shouting was hard to miss. A hand gingerly touched the tender part of her neck. Her throat stung and her face burnt, tears pricking in her eyes. 

Coughing, she couldn’t get a word out when she looked up and saw Banesaw’s back to her. It was difficult looking around the hulking man. When she leaned far enough, however, she was surprised to see Adam standing right in front of him. 

Standing was perhaps too kind of a word. The poor boy looked like he would collapse any moment, his hand shakily gripping her sword. He must had picked it up.

Clothes torn and visible skin bruised, the worst injury by far was a metal rod that had impaled itself through his right thigh. Blood stained his pants leg in a thick layer, dripping down onto the concrete. The way he hobbled, barely able to hold up his own weight, it must have been agony for him at that moment. 

His brief rescue was cut sadly short. Banesaw was stronger, faster, and with his Aura still intact, the attack was little more than a nuisance to him. Snatching the sword away, he picked the teenager up by the front of his shirt and spun around, throwing him away.

A sharp cry was all Adam could make as his back hit the container harshly, sliding down onto the ground while Eirian gasped in horror. “Adam!”

“She went too far again.” Banesaw grumbled to himself. “Be lucky you both can escape with your lives.”

The fight was over. Standing victorious, he turned around to leave the scene, only pausing when Adam snapped. “How could you do this?”

Banesaw stopped midstep. For a moment, the students could only see his back, but the way his shoulders tensed as Adam continued chewing him out filled Eirian with dread.

“She was just a kid. An innocent kid who just wanted to help the Faunus, and you killed her.” He lifted his head, tears streaming down his face. “Now you just stand there like it was nothing! You always go on about protecting Faunus' lives, but what about her’s?! Did she not matter?!”

Slowly, Banesaw turned his head. Staring down at the devastated Adam, his voice was different, a pained growl as he shot back. “Don’t assume I took pleasure in killing a child.”

“But you still did it! Your feelings on it don’t mean shit to me when you killed my  _ little sister! _ ” 

Banesaw didn’t fight the accusations. Silently, he stood there, taking Adam’s grief with nothing thrown back. Eirian kept quiet, shocked to see so much emotion coming from her leader. She wanted to comfort him, but every tiny movement sent jolts of pain through her arm. 

It was definitely broken, the limb laying by her side in an ‘s’ shape. Paralyzed, she laid there, only able to watch the argument in front of her with widened eyes.

The White Fang member moved to say something, taking a step forward to Adam when something rumbled the ground. Small pebbles jumped around from the vibrations. It didn’t go unnoticed, all of them looking in the direction of the source, near where the warehouse was. There, in the dark night skies, they saw it.

Debris, broken concrete and bricks, all spiraling around up above. The movement was fluid, forming long spirals that soared through the air. It wasn’t some random attack. Too controlled, it shot around, trying to hit something that was dashing around. 

“What’s that?” Banesaw sighed in frustration. “Looks like it’s time to head ou-”

Something collided right into him. A flash of purple, he was dragged across the ground by whatever had attacked him, unable to stop it. Rolling across the ground, he stopped with his attacker standing right above him.

Purple smoke emitting from its giant frame, a deep roar echoed through the air. Eirian knew that sound. 

Bomvu pinned the lieutenant under his immense weight. Giant claws digging into the concrete, he growled in Banesaw’s face, showing off his huge teeth. He wasn’t alone. 

A heavy body dropped onto the ground. Kneeling down on one knee, Icheku slowly stood up, putting himself between the threat and the injured students. If it wasn’t for the crippling agony, Eirian would’ve ran up to hug him in relief. 

A long spear gripped tightly in his hand, Icheku turned to look over his shoulder, unable to hide his shock at the state his daughter and her leader were in. “You kids alright?”

“We’ve… been better.” She tried to joke. It fell somewhat flat when she winced in pain, trying her best not to jolt her arm.

“Don’t worry. I’m here now.” He turned back to Banesaw, holding his spear up with a heavy glare. 

Eirian wanted to feel safe now that her father was there, but after fighting Banesaw herself, she couldn’t stop that underlying fear from gripping her. It worsened when she saw him start to overpower Bomvu. 

Gripping his jaws, Banesaw stopped the giant beast from biting him. It was a battle of strength. When it seemed that Bomvu would manage to hold on, a sharp crack to the side of his head snapped his neck to the side, the force behind it off balancing him enough for Banesaw to kick him square in the abdomen. 

The weight of the giant lion hitting the concrete sent rumbles through the ground. It didn’t stun him for long, Bomvu getting up to his feet as Icheku charged. Already back on his feet, Banesaw was able to meet him head on. 

Metallic skin protected him from the sharp tip of the spear, Banesaw using his fists to block each and every one of Icheku’s attacks. His way with his weapon was fluid, the experience fighting shining through as he had the other man on the back foot. As soon as Bomvu joined in, trying to pounce, Banesaw found himself one against two.

Eirian wanted to help. The helplessness she felt was crippling, her bruised and battered body laying on the hard floor as all she could do was watch as her father fought off the skilled fighter. 

Anyone lesser would’ve been overwhelmed, yet somehow Banesaw managed to hold on. There was no way he could escape with the swift big cat on his tail. Quickly, he slid across the ground, hiding behind a container when Bomvu opened his mouth. Out of it spat flames. 

Blue in colour, it burned viciously, melting anything it came into contact with. Several containers that were in the way were left charred and melted, the edges of the metal glowing white from the heat. 

She watched in awe. It had been so long since she last saw her father go all out, and even longer since she saw Bomvu’s morphed form using its power. 

That awe didn’t last long when someone suddenly kneeled beside her. Hands touched her shoulders gently, a familiar voice muttering in shock. “Eirian, your arm…”

Tilting her head back, she could only let out a sigh of relief when she saw Zanthus stare back at her. Slit pupils blown out considerably, he tried to help her sit up, using his hands to support her shattered arm as best as he could. It was almost too much to bear.

“S-Stop!” She hissed.

Obeying, he kept her arm upwards, waiting until she gathered herself before resting the broken limb on her lap. “Hold on a sec.”

The pain was starting to get too much. Dizzy, she could barely focus on the fighting in the background, only able to stare down as Zanthus tore the end of his cape. Shredding fabric loudly, he placed it down on the ground while searching for something. 

Distracted, she snuck a peek over at Icheku. He was already faring far better than she was for the whole previous fight. 

With the extended reach of his spear, Icheku kept Banesaw away, twirling the weapon around as they went at each other. Grabbing hold of the spear’s head, Banesaw shoved Icheku away and ducked down in time to avoid a lunge from Bomvu, hitting the lion square in the abdomen with a solid uppercut. 

Forced up into the air, Bomvu’s wings flapped quickly. They were the only reason he didn’t come crashing back down. Airborne, he dove down back into the fight, flying in from behind Icheku. Diving to the side, Icheku skid across the ground, clearing the way as Bomvu collided right into Banesaw. With another flag of his massive wings, he took to the skies with the struggling man in his claws.

Suddenly, Bomvu dropped his prey. Banesaw fell fast. Having no way to slow his descent, it looked like he would slam into the ground hard. 

A spear thrown by Icheku caught him first. Digging into the tunic just above his shoulder, the force behind it pulled Banesaw with it. However, before it could pin him to anything, the trigger in the weapon pulled from the contact, and the shotgun barrels built in the long grip fired. Banesaw was sent hurtling into the ground, skidding across the floor while the spear shot backwards, caught by Bomvu as he swooped down to his partner.

Dropping the spear, Bomvu landed right before Icheku, who caught it in one hand while approaching the White Fang member.

Eirian was entranced by the fighting. That amazement didn’t last long when a jolt of pain brought her back to her arm. When she looked down at it, she noticed Zanthus having sawed off some of the leather straps that wrapped around his legs, using them along with the red cloth to splint her broken arm. 

It hurt like hell, but she could now reasonably move it to rest on her lap.

“There,” Zanthus started, helping Eirian up slowly. “We gotta help Adam, and then I’m getting you two outta here.”

“Where’s Ruri?” 

He glanced up at the skies. “Up there.”

Following his gaze, Eirian tried to make out what was going on above. The debris continued to move about, though their target was too fast to see, but a small figure occasionally darted between the spirals and platforms. The way the moonlight bounced off steel chains, it was difficult to miss them. 

“What’s she doing? She could get hurt!” She gasped.

“She went with Professor Goodwitch.” Zanthus explained, holding Eirian close as he guided her near where Adam was sitting. “Don’t worry. The professor will keep her safe.”

She wanted to believe in his comforting words, but seeing the state that Adam came back in after fighting Iya left her wracked with worry. Ruri was the strongest of them. There was no doubt in her mind, but even the strongest of them was still a student. These were dangerous criminals.

That was the least of her worries. When she turned her attention to Adam, having finally reached him, he looked worse than before. Usually almond coloured skin was desaturated terribly, looking more like a sickly greyish tan that glistened with sweat. 

As Zanthus helped her sit down, he turned his complete attention to the injured teen. A hand pressed against Adam’s forehead, the grim look on Zanthus’ face saying it all as he cursed. “Shit, he’s getting a fever. He might be going septic.”

“What do we do?”

“The police and ambulance services were already contacted, but with the increased crime rate, it’s taking its sweet time.” Quickly, Zanthus tore off more from his cape, tying the fabric tightly around Adam’s thigh while adding. “This should slow the bleeding for a while.”

“Can we take it out?”

“ _ No. _ ” Adam’s hoarse voice piped up. “Leave it in.”

“But it could have anything on it!” Eirian tried to argue.

“We take it out, he’ll bleed out before the paramedics have any chance of getting here.” Zanthus explained.

Sitting there was the worst thing Eirian could think about doing. It was clear how much the metal pole right through his leg was hurting Adam, only able to sit there leaning against the container with gritted teeth. Apart from torniquetting the limb, there was little Zanthus could do, the feline Faunus watching Icheku fight off Banesaw with worry clear on his face.

He was torn. Eirian knew exactly how her friend looked when he was concerned, his round ears folding back slightly and his mouth twitching at the corners. He was practically itching to jump in. Yet he didn’t, staying by his friends to protect them. 

That desire to jump in worsened when they watched Banesaw manage to grip Bomvu in a headlock. 

It was difficult to wrap his arms around the thick neck, his hands not even reaching each other, but by the way Bomvu squirmed and struggled in his grip, Banesaw was still incredibly strong. With a loud yell, he wrenched his hands from each other, a loud snap chilling to all who could hear it.

Horror was the only thing Eirian could feel when she watched Bomvu collapse to the ground. Lifeless, he laid there, his corpse fading away to nothing until his mask laid abandoned on the concrete.

“Bomvu…” She muttered sadly.

“He… killed him?” Zanthus piped up beside her.

She didn’t look at him. “The mask is intact. Bomvu can come back, but if my dad can’t get to it… He could lose Bomvu and Mhlophe.”

Zanthus said nothing to that. He didn’t need to, his face falling as he turned back to the fight happening in front of them. 

With the distance closed between them, Banesaw had managed to grab Icheku’s spear in both hands. Both of the men fought over it, struggling with each one trying to overpower the other, and unlike before, Banesaw had met someone who could take his inhumane strength head on. 

A harsh knee to the ribs had Banesaw doubled over, unable to defend himself when Icheku, having freed his spear from the other’s grip, whacked him across the face with the long pole part. As he staggered back, he barely dodged another blast from Icheku’s shotgun, his body stiffening up with the metallic shine covering most of his visible skin. 

His fist remained metal while he traded blows. Aura protected Icheku, but even with that protection, being hit with solid metal  _ hurt,  _ and the endless barrage meant he couldn’t reach down to the masks that dangled from his belt. The ones that laid abandoned were the ones he desperately needed to reach.

Getting him twice in the gut, Banesaw grabbed hold of Icheku’s goat pelt collar and headbutted him square in the face. As the seasoned Huntsman stumbled, his spear was wrenched from his grip, tossed away with the fight devolving into a straight up fist fight.

Suddenly, Zanthus got up to his feet. “Someone’s gotta help him!”

“Zanthus!” Eirian’s warnings went unheard as he took off.

Left behind, she was powerless to stop him, nursing her broken arm and having to protect an injured Adam in case the danger turned its attention on them. The helplessness was suffocating, she wanted to help.

Jumping straight into the fray, Zanthus grabbed hold of Banesaw’s arm as the latter pulled back to deliver another brutal punch. Holding on with a tight grip, he pulled it over his shoulder and spun around, using Banesaw’s unbalanced weight to flip him over his shoulder and slam him straight into the ground. 

Stunned from the surprise attack, Banesaw grunted as he was forced onto his stomach. Zanthus sat on top of him, pinning the burly arm behind Banesaw’s back, keeping him subdued while Icheku regained himself.

Rubbing his sore nose, he approached the student with an approving tone. “Keep him still, I’ll cuff him until the polic-”

With another deep growl, Banesaw suddenly jerked his head backwards, managing to catch Zanthus’ in the nose. As he yelped in pain, he was unbalanced by the older man’s struggling and was thrown off. 

Icheku tried to rush him. However, Banesaw spun around on the ground, using his legs to kick Icheku’s feet out from under him. Stunned from the blow, he couldn’t react fast enough when Banesaw got back up, approaching the Huntsman with clenched fists. When Icheku tried to get to his knees, another kick forced him up in the air, and without hesitation, Banesaw roundhouse kicked him into the containers.

The metal screeched and bent from the collision, forming a huge dent from where Icheku’s heavy body had hit it. He didn’t move at all from where he sat. 

“Dad, get up!” Eirian tried to rouse from the sidelines.

Banesaw only gave her a quick glance, sending chills down her spine as she froze. 

Thankfully, he paid her no further attention, turning around in time to dodge a wild swipe from Zanthus. The student stood bravely, trying to protect his friend’s and the downed Huntsman from the criminal, but the gap in skills were too obvious to ignore.

Grabbing hold of his arm, Banesaw tugged Zanthus in closer and kneed him right in his gut. Gasps of air and pain were all the feline Faunus made when he collapsed to the ground. 

Practically hacking his guts, Zanthus was powerless as Banesaw grabbed him tightly around the neck, hoisting him up in the air with ease. Choking sounds stuck with Eirian. Watching her friend fight to simply breathe, his feet kicking out, unwanted flashbacks to herself nearly being strangled to death came flooding back. It was not a way to go, and it was happening again to her friend.

Stop. Please, just  _ stop.  _

“You’re killing him! Stop it!” She cried out in panic.

Banesaw seemed to pay her some attention, his head tilting in her direction. Yet before he could even think about releasing Zanthus, his body jerked forward with a deep gasp of pain escaping his throat. It happened so fast. Eirian almost missed her father standing behind the White Fang member, his spear back in his hands.

“Let him go.” Icheku growled menacingly. 

Whether Banesaw did out of instinctive pain or on the man’s orders, Eirian didn’t know. Still, she was grateful when he dropped Zanthus to the floor, the teenager coughing to himself as he laid there. 

Though he was out of the woods, Banesaw seemingly didn’t want to give up the fight, moving to strike at Icheku before the latter’s shotguns fired. There, the distinctive purple light that flickered over Banesaw’s body was spotted by the injured teenager, and the power behind the shot sent him tumbling to the ground again. 

He didn’t move. Bloodied spots stained his pure white tunic, but not enough to be alarming. At worst, he collapsed from the pain, shock, and exhaustion due to the extended time he had been fighting all these people.

With his gun still smoking, Icheku let out a sigh of relief, holding his weapon upright as it shifted back into the spear mode. The silence after the fight was deafening.

It didn’t last long. As soon as he caught his breath, Icheku rushed over to Eirian, kneeling down in front of her with worry clear in his voice. “Stay still, Sweet Pea. Lemme look at it.”

Gingerly, she let him lift her arm, gritting her teeth when the pain flared up again. 

“Ahhh, he’s snapped the bone in two places.” Icheku sighed, putting the arm back down gently. “The paramedics will take a better look at it when they get here.”

“I’m sorry, Dad. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”

His face turned to that fatherly comfort again. “Don’t you worry about that, hun. You’re safe now, that’s all that matte-”

His words died when something slashed him across the back. Loud shouts of pain ripped from his lips, black light flickered from the blow, holding together in some places while completely destroyed in others.

Blood splattered on the ground, staining the grey, dirty concrete while Eirian gasped in alarm. “Dad!”

He spun around, showing the wound off for all to see. It was horrifying. Three long slashes that dug deep into the flesh, the blood pouring out thickly as it dripped down onto the ground, leaving puddles behind everywhere he moved. 

With his attention elsewhere, Eirian feared that Banesaw had gotten a second wind and carried on, looking around her father to see the other man. It wasn’t him. The person standing there… it was  _ Zanthus. _

Bent over like a rabid animal, the claws of his weapons were soaked in Icheku’s blood, dripping off without even the slightest hint of worry from her friend. It was him, but something was warning Eirian. The way he was standing, baring his teeth and only growling, she was terrified. The worst were his eyes.

Once white with slit pupils, the colours had completely inverted. White sclera had darkened to pitch black, the slit pupils white and tiny compared to how they usually are. That wasn’t Zanthus. 

“What’s gotten into you, son?!” Icheku snapped, managing to grab Zanthus when the boy lunged again.

He didn’t reply. Snapping and growling in the grown man’s face, he scratched everywhere he could, managing to draw more blood as his claws nicked through Icheku’s Aura. It was like the light retreated from the touch itself. 

In pain, Icheku threw him away, drawing his spear again when Zanthus landed on all fours. Eirian could only sit there in horror as the two fought. It wasn’t a fight between two warriors anymore. It was a fight for survival, Zanthus no longer resembling her friend as he attacked without discrimination.

Suddenly, a hand gently touched her shoulder. Jolted, she glanced over at the person touching her, noticing that somehow, Adam had managed to get to his feet during the commotion.

When he took a step past her, she tried to stop him. “That isn’t Zanthus. Don’t get closer, he might hurt you too!”

“It’s alright.” Adam muttered back, lifting his hand from her shoulder as he carried on approaching the fight.

Icheku noticed him first. Spear in hand, he tried to raise a hand to stop him. “Don’t get any closer! He’s gone completely insane!”

“Zanthus,” Adam started, ignoring Icheku’s warnings as he approached his friend. “Come on, man. This ain’t you. You gotta stop this.”

Wide eyes focused entirely on him. Like Icheku was no longer there, Zanthus didn’t take his eyes off his leader, still growling and snarling when Adam tried to come closer.

It happened in an instant. One second Adam was standing there, the next he was thrown onto the ground with Zanthus on top of him, ready to tear his throat out with long canines bared. Eirian let out a shocked shout, trying to get to her feet regardless of the agony in her body.

“Zanthus, it’s me.” Adam whispered to him, his voice strained with sorrow. “Don’t you recognise me?” 

There, Zanthus immediately focused on something that Adam pulled out. As Eirian stumbled towards them, she managed to see it herself. A small amulet that was dangling from his neck. The one Zanthus had given him last night.

Zanthus paused. That look of wild anger vanished, and slowly those eyes faded back to normal. Black pupils shrunken, he could only sit there in horror, barely able to realise what had just happened.

Looking around in blind panic, he jolted off from on top of Adam, backing away with his hands in front of him. “No, no, no, no.”

“Easy there, son.” Icheku tried to console, pausing to grip his shoulder in pain.

The act didn’t go unnoticed by Zanthus. Breathing heavily, he noticed the blood dripping from Icheku’s back, and right there, he finally realised that the same blood stained his own hands. Shaking uncontrollably, he continued to back away, unwilling to let his friends near him even when they tried to bridge the gap between them. 

“Zanthus, what was that?” Eirian asked. “You can talk to us! We’re your friends!”

“No, no, it’s- you can’t help me.”

“We can try! You can trust us!”

He wasn’t convinced at all. Flinching away from Eirian, he shrunk in on himself, raising his hands as if Eirian touching him would literally burn him. 

“I…” He paused, looking up at her and Adam with glistening eyes. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

All three people present tried to comfort him, hands stretched out to grab hold of him, but Zanthus backed away. Cornered, he was clearly terrified and, without even thinking, turned around and ran off. 

Adam immediately tried to give chase. “Zanthus!”

His leg finally gave way. Collapsing to the ground in agony, he was immediately met with panicked shouts, both Eirian and Icheku rushing to him. Small hands rested on his shoulder, keeping him from squirming too much. Eirian sat there, comforting him while trying to ignore the twitching limb beside her. The metallic scent of blood was strong in her nose. It was practically nauseating.

Glancing in the direction Zanthus had run off in, she noticed something. Brief confusion gave way to shock, eyes darting around to try and find what she was looking for. Nothing. 

In the panic of Zanthus attacking Icheku and him, everyone there hadn’t noticed that Banesaw disappeared.

He had escaped. How could they had let that happen?!

Sounds of sirens blaring in the distance dragged her attention away from the missing man, both Eirian and Icheku looking over to see blue lights coming straight for them. 

“The paramedics!” She gasped, turning back to her injured friend. “They’re here, Adam. Just hold on a little longer.”

It was nearly impossible for him to hear her. Words muffled and sounding far away, he could only lie there with the blood loss finally taking its toll on his battered body. Darkness that crept in the corners of his eyes had now completely blinded him. 

The last thing he could feel was something lifting him up from the ground. The rest was lost.

He didn’t know how long he had been unconscious for. When his eyes started to flutter open once more, he was greeted with the soft glow from a lamp beside him. What was cold, hard concrete that he laid on, now he could feel a soft mattress and clean sheets. Smelled disinfected, the clean scent hanging heavily in the room. 

Everything around him was white and green, a curtain hanging by his bed a forest green in colour with Vale’s insignia printed on it. Staring at the large logo, he silently glanced around, spotting someone curled up in a chair that was left near her bed.

“...Ruri?” He croaked.

It wasn’t the sound of his voice that alerted her. Rather, his movements in his bed, the soft scraping of the table near them when he tried to sit upright. The gentle vibrations were quickly picked up by her as she finally awoke.

Usually silky blue hair stuck to her face as she wiped the drool from her chin, squinting around while Adam sat there, waiting until she was facing him before asking. “Where am I?”

Unfortunately, Ruri couldn’t exactly sign to Adam, knowing that whatever she said would’ve been lost on him. With a faint frown, she pulled out her scroll, using it to type out what was on her mind. It was a useful piece of equipment after all. 

With it in hand, she pressed a button and held it closer. Any questions he had were answered when a robotic voice read out her text. “ **You’re in Beacon General Hospital.** ”

“The hospital?” He murmured. “Wh…?”

He glanced down at his leg. Hanging up on a sling, he could see his entire leg wrapped up in a cast. Any pain he felt was minimal, though that familiar sensation of being drugged was hard to miss. It felt like his mind was wrapped in a heavy blanket. 

Suddenly, everything came flooding back. The fight with Iya, his impalement, fighting Banesaw after he broke Eirian’s arm. 

“What happened? Where’s Eirian?”

She typed out her response quickly. “ **Surgery. They’re repairing the arm now.** ”

“Was it bad?”

Her face darkened at that. “ **The bone was broken in two different places. She’ll be able to keep it, but there’s going to be permanent nerve damage.** ”

That made Adam’s stomach flip. Worry and guilt mixing together, he glanced away from Ruri, needing a moment to calm himself down.

“And…” he paused, looking back at Ruri. “And Zanthus?”

Ruri didn’t respond.

Holding onto her scroll, she seemed thoughtful, trying to say the truth without freaking Adam out more, but the wait just made his anxiety worse. When she did manage to think of the words to say, what she responded with was not good.

“ **He’s gone. We don’t know where he is, but Professor Goodwitch and the Headmaster are working hard to find him.** ” She paused for a moment. “ **I know what happened. About Zanthus and the White Fang.** ”

Adam couldn’t hide the shock on his face. Hands gripping the blanket tightly, he tried to explain. “This isn’t really the place to talk about that.”

She didn’t look angry. Soft features on her face, she was almost sympathetic, typing out quickly. “ **This is a conversation for the whole team, but I’m not angry.** ”

“You’re… you’re not?” 

Ruri shook her head in response. Honestly, Adam didn’t know what to think, having assured himself all this time that his friends would be furious to know who he was, and rightfully so. Yet to have Ruri console him at least helped alleviate some of that anxiety.

However, when she adopted a more serious expression, that worry came running back. “ **Adam, I have to tell you. Your bandage.** ”

His bandage? Adam quickly lifted his hand up to it, feeling the soft fabric covering his scarred eye. Still there, but the look on Ruri’s face had him thinking that something was wrong. 

“ **The doctors had to remove it while they were repairing your leg. Wanted to replace it since it was dirty and old. They didn’t tell me what was under it because of confidentiality, but the nurses said that it was horrible what they saw.** ” She explained. “ **What happened to your eye?** ”

Everything froze. The thought that people saw his scar, people he didn’t know and didn’t  _ want,  _ it made him feel violated. He didn’t want anyone to see what the SDC had done to him. 

As he sat there, Ruri watched closely, giving him the time needed to think over what he wanted to say. Slowly, he came out in as much honesty as he could give.

“It’s not something I wanna talk about here. Wait until we’re all back at the dorms, and I’ll explain everything.”

She accepted that, nodding faintly with that same concern clear in her eyes. Something was worrying her. Adam could see it clearly, surprised that the usually stoic girl was so emotive that day.

Given that her whole team was either AWOL or incapacitated, it didn’t surprise him in the slightest.

Suddenly, loud arguing echoed from behind his room’s closed door. Adam immediately focused on it, narrowing his eyes as he strained to try and pick out the voices. In the cacophony, he could hear Glynda’s sharp tone, the restrained anger easy to pick out. But the other one was a stranger.

The door flung open, startling both the students inside. His guess was right when Glynda stormed into the room, looking quite pissed off while another adult followed her in.

Adam didn’t recognise him. Shaved head, tanned skin, and pointed furry ears on the top of his head, the most recognisable thing on the stranger was his uniform. Black blazer that hugged against his wide frame tightly, with red accents over the lapels and a white belt stretched across his chest. With black pants, the red stripe that ran down the side of his leg was a stark contrast from the dark colours.

Under his armpit, he held a cap tightly. “That is not your decision to make!”

“I think you’ll find that Vale’s police do  _ not  _ make the rules on how the Academy punishes its students!” Glynda snapped back. “Don’t think that being promoted to Chief Commissioner means you can now bend the law.”

“Don’t talk to me about bending laws when Headmaster Ozpin is completely incapable of following them in the first place!” The Chief growled. “This isn’t the first time Beacon’s students have fought against criminals in my city! With the texts on this boy’s scroll, we’ve linked him to Hei Xiong and his underground operations! Do you have any idea how many investigations he has ruined, on top of bringing White Fang members in direct contact with the public?!”

“The texts on Mr Taurus’ scroll do not correlate him with the massacre that happened to Hei Xiong’s bar.” Another voice piped up.

Both Glynda and the Chief Commissioner turned to the door. 

The clink of heels echoed through the tense air, their owner quickly marching through the door with a gripping presence. Professor Melina.

“Cas… The Gods were sure to curse me with you, today.” The Chief sighed in frustration.

Melina sounded unfazed as they retorted. “It’s always so nice to see you again, Commissioner Rex. Now, are you going to read Adam his rights or are we going to drop the charges?”

“On what grounds?” Commissioner Rex demanded.

“On the grounds that you’ve linked Adam to a crime that he was nowhere near, committed by the same people who tried to murder him, and all on the basis that he was once a part of the organisation that they’re from.” Melina moved closer to Adam’s bed, gesturing to the sweating teen.

The way those amber eyes stared into his felt like they could see all. Chief Commissioner Rex was a  _ big  _ man, with thick arms like tree trunks and the scars that could tell a lifetime of stories. 

Never taking his eyes off Adam, he revealed. “Even if we can’t get him with the club homicide, there’s still the fact that he and Eirian Esna had unlawfully brought weapons into the city limits without a license. Not to mention the fact that being part of a terrorist organisation is against the law, which all four kingdoms have rightfully labelled the White Fang.”

Adam’s hands gripped the blanket tightly at that. No matter what his problems with the White Fang were, listening to people slander it as just terrorism left him more than a little heated.

“You’re gonna have to try harder than that, Bruno.” Melina smirked. “The unlawful weapons angle would be dropped in seconds when it’s found out that the White Fang attacked Adam first. In the eyes of the law, that is seen as self-defense, and last time I checked, that was perfectly legal.”

The Chief glowered as they continued. “On top of that, Adam was a minor when he was with the White Fang. Unless you want to open the can of worms by prosecuting a child soldier who was almost killed by the organisation that took him in, fine. But we both know how that’ll end.”

“So, what do you want from me? Let him go with nothing?” Commissioner Rex asked sharply.

“You will let Headmaster Ozpin and I do our jobs.” Glynda shot back. “Adam and Eirian are under our legal protection for the duration of their time in our Academy. We will decide the fitting punishment for them and we will decide what’ll happen to their place in Beacon. Not  _ you. _ ”

He backed off from her. Glancing between her and Adam, the student could  _ feel  _ the anger and frustration oozing off him. For a moment, he was convinced that the Chief Commissioner would continue fighting, but no argument came. He saw Glynda and Melina standing strong, and cut his losses there.

Before he left the room, however, he turned to Glynda and warned her. “This is the last time, Miss Goodwitch. If any of your students endanger the city or break the law again, I’ll be coming for your ass  _ and  _ Ozpin’s.”

“Make sure to debrief the vulture you call your ADA.” Glynda retorted snidely. 

A scowl on his face, Rex gave one last look at Adam before leaving the room. 

The silence after was crippling. No one said anything, Ruri watching the two professors standing there with quick glances between each other. While Melina just seemed relieved that she managed to fend Commissioner Rex for now, Glynda was more subdued.

Quietly, she spoke to Melina. “Cas, take Miss Kashima out for a moment. Miss Esna should be out of surgery by now and I think she’ll need a friend.”

“Yeah, no problem.” Melina agreed, turning to Ruri and gesturing. “Come on.”

Ruri lingered for a moment. Turning to Adam, he gestured for her to go with a flick of his head, watching as she nodded and got up from the chair. Gently, Melina guided the student out of the room.

The door shut behind them softly, leaving only Adam and Glynda in the room.

He didn’t say anything. Even with Glynda’s back to him, the way she was standing so tensely set him on edge, unable to find the words to say. All he could do was sit there, looking out the window at the dark night skies.

“I put my trust in you, Adam.” Glynda started, finally turning around to face him directly. 

The way her emerald green eyes narrowed gave him pause. She was  _ furious _ , but contained it enough to speak without devolving into angry shouting. “You promised that you would behave yourself while we sorted this out. I wanted to trust you, and now this? What do you have to say for yourself?”

“I…” He gulped. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

“Eirian and Ruri told me you went to Sasnak Docks to meet with Junior. I told you to cease contact and you deliberately lied and disobeyed me, and what’s worse, you put Eirian in danger!”

“I didn’t know Eirian had followed me there. I didn’t want anyone involved, especially my team.” Adam explained. 

That seemed to calm Glynda down. Arms crossed, she wasn’t even holding her signature crop, rather having a bag slung over her shoulder. 

The question on Adam’s mind stuck with him. Unable to keep it to himself, he voiced it nervously. “So… what happens now? H-How much do you know?”

“Eirian told us everything before she had to go to surgery. What happens now is ultimately up for Ozpin to decide, but we can’t do that until we find Mr Nemeós.” She glanced down at her bag, her voice quieter than before. “It wasn’t the only thing I wished to talk to you about.”

Pulling the bag off her shoulder, she gave it to Adam. He sat there confused, unsure what was in the bag or why it was so important that Glynda herself came to give it to him. Still, something told him to open it, and so he did.

Rummaging through, he felt the cold feeling of metal on his fingertips. As he pulled it out, the sight of black steel made him pause, the very breath in his lungs vanishing when he realised what it was.

Blake’s sword. Up close, he could see every nick, every scratch that had ever been inflicted on the weapon. The tip where the blade had been broken was jagged. The other bit still in the bag, he pulled it out too, connecting the two pieces together with a ragged exhale. The sheath that his sister wielded was nowhere to be seen.

“I know what had happened. I’m sorry for your loss, Adam.” Glynda explained.

“It’s my fault.” He replied. “I didn’t protect her enough. I’m the reason she ran away, if I was there when Iya found her, I… I could’ve  _ saved  _ her.”

Glynda said nothing to that. Slowly, she approached the bed, sitting down beside him as he continued. “She died hating me. She died never knowing how sorry I am for everything I did to her. I should’ve listened to her and left the White Fang sooner, I should’ve…”

His voice cracked. Vision blurring with unshed tears, he could only focus on the broken weapon in his hands. All the guilt, the pain and the grief came hurtling back, no longer kept at bay by that one sliver of hope that he would reunite with Blake again.

Bringing one of his hands closer to his face, he covered his eyes and sobbed. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen! I didn’t want anyone to get hurt again!”

Pained sobs wracked his body. Unable to stop the tears from falling, he sat there, pained from his loss and his actions having led to it. The thought of never telling Blake how sorry he was for everything was too much for him to bear. What Iya could’ve done to her, it made him sick to the stomach just thinking about it.

Suddenly, he felt a hand gently touch his shoulder. He didn’t look up, trying his best to wipe the tears away, only for more to fall, but Glynda’s voice was hard to miss. 

It was quiet. No longer filled with retrained fury and betrayal, she simply sat there, giving the grieving teen her presence while he let it all out finally.

“Take your time to grieve.” She consoled. “I will let Headmaster Ozpin know about the situation.”


	17. That Fateful Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The law is final. Banesaw knows the fate of those who leave the White Fang, but Blake is as slippery as she is intelligent. Despite her young age, she vanished, but with Junior having told them where she went, he and Iya give chase. There, what Banesaw wants is irrelevant. The law has to be upheld.

It was hard trying to find some way down to the Vacuo-Vale border.

In all honesty, it didn’t surprise Banesaw. With the White Fang growing in infamy across Remnant, many settlements and cities had put up signs for anyone to give up White Fang members spotted in the area. It was hard enough getting  _ into  _ Beacon’s city, but while Iya could soar past the walls, he was stuck on the ground. 

By the time he managed to sneak his way out into the countryside, his companion was already waiting in a nearby forest. No inns would take them in.

The road was long and hard. Feet ached terribly with each step, the summer sun boiling Banesaw alive as he wiped the sweat off his neck. Even Iya, who started the journey as a chattering bird, satisfied with the havoc she reaped on Vale City, soon found herself crouched on his shoulders.

Giant wings spread outwards, casting him in much needed shadows, but the whining in his ear was almost too much of a price to pay. “It’s so hot. I think my feathers are starting to melt off, that’s how hot I am!”

“Quit your complaining. We got miles to go, and I ain’t spending them listening to your belly aching.” 

“You know, you got no fucking sympathy.” She griped. “Here I am, giving you some shade when I don’t have to, and you’re not gonna say one comforting thing to me? I’m like a boiling chicken! I’m gonna end up on the dinner table if I don’t find somewhere cool soon!”

“A cooked chicken would be a better travelling companion.” Banesaw grumbled to himself. 

“Ahhhh, you don’t mean that. Ay, buddy? Ol’ pal?” 

Banesaw didn’t reply, rather grabbing Iya’s legs and throwing her over his head. She yelped in surprise, flapping her wings to try and not faceplant the ground, but with the minimal space between her spot and the ground, she only managed to soften the blow. 

Lying there on her back, Banesaw paid her no attention as he stepped over her.

A long whine called after him. “Baaaaaaanesaw, I need some loveeeeeee.”

“Give it to yourself, then. They always say that self love is the most important.” He shot back, never turning to actually look at Iya as he continued down the road.

“Oh, is that it, huh? A friend is coming to you in-in their hour of need, and you just kick them to the curb?!” She ranted, getting back to her feet and following after him. “That’s cold, man. Real cold. I coulda been hurt. You know, my spine coulda been looking like one of them turkey twizzlers now, but you don’t care, do you?”

“No.”

“Well, now I know why Kaa doesn’t let anyone work with your heartless, fat ass. The way you’re going, you ain’t gonna be making very many friends around here.”

“Like you? Last time I checked, people drew straws before even going on a recon mission with you.” From behind his mask, he peered down at Iya from the corner of his eyes. “Last poor fool who went with you ended up losing his kidneys and having them scattered among the trees.”

“It was his spleen and gallbladder. Either way, doesn’t matter!” She brushed off.

Banesaw sighed in annoyance while she continued. “The point is that you gotta be more open, man. You can’t keep to yourself in that tent all day. You’ll end up losing your tan.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

The conversation, thankfully, ended there. No longer having to bear Iya’s weight on his shoulders, Banesaw could roll them to get rid of the aching sensation in them. That did mean he was once again directly exposed to the sun. It was almost too much to deal with on top of his heavy wooden mask. 

Eventually, Iya lost what little patience she had left. With an annoyed growl, she suddenly took off to the skies, kicking up dirt and dust that blew into Banesaw’s face. 

Managing to get through the small eye holes, he flinched away while waving a hand. Silent, he stared up to the sky, unable to even pinpoint where his partner had disappeared off too. Thank the Gods. Now, he could continue walking without listening to her voice or deal with any of her antics.

The roads that they had taken were pretty much abandoned. Few people travelled along them, rather taking the trains that led into the kingdom’s capital. Long dirt paths that wormed through forests, spiralling up the mountains that inhabited much of Vale’s west coast. Any poor soul that wandered knew better than to directly confront the hulking man as he walked along quietly, choosing to go about their day instead.

Grimm weren't so smart. No other prey making their way through the monsters’ territory, they took what scraps they could find. Banesaw looked like a prize compared to the smaller bags of bones the Grimm were used to.

The air was still for a moment, the vanished sound of birds and the wind not going unnoticed by Banesaw. He kept walking. Eyes trained forward, he heard the rustling of a nearby bush, and there a lone Ursa jumped out of cover at him. A deep roar echoed through the air, disturbing what little wildlife remained. 

Reared on its back legs, it raised its giant paws, ready to slam down on top of Banesaw with all its weight. A hard blow to its stomach had it crashing into the trees. 

Thick trunks breaking from the power of the heavy Ursa plowing through them, all that was left was a deep gouge in the earth, leading through the destroyed trees to where the Grimm had stopped. 

Without breaking his stride, Banesaw kept walking, not once stopping to even spare a glance to the wrecked Ursa, its broken body fading away to dust. 

Any other creatures that lurked proved just as weak against him. Few times did he even feel the need to activate his Semblance, simply strolling by with dissolving corpses littering his path. Despite the losses and clear strength of their prey, the Grimm didn’t stop or retreat, they couldn’t. Driven on by hunger and malice, they stalked him throughout the forest.

A couple of Beowolves snuck behind him, their deep growls clear in the quiet air, but Banesaw didn’t pay them much attention. That faint whistle in the distance warned him soon enough.

Any attempts to pounce were stopped immediately. Clawed feet driving into their backs, their pained yelps reached Banesaw as he stopped in his tracks, turning around to see Iya standing on top of their corpses. Black flesh fading away, she flexed her shoulders casually. “Man, that was some flight.”

“Done with your tantrum?”

“Well, if you’re gonna act that way, then I ain’t gonna tell you that I found something that’ll get us down to the border sooner.” She shrugged. “I guess you’ll just have to walk. Shame you can’t fly.”

“Don’t act cute. What’d you find?”

Approaching him, she pointed off into the distant horizon down the path. “‘Bout fifty klicks south east from here. Found some train tracks that’re going down south.”

“The whole reason we’re in this mess is ‘cause we can’t just take a train.” Banesaw snapped.

“Give me a fucking second to finish. Damn.” Iya shot back. “It’s a cargo train. We wait until it’s close and hop aboard, we won’t be disturbed.”

He kept quiet at that. As much as he hated to admit it, Iya had a point. Sneak onto a cargo train and they’d avoid not only civilians who’d rat out any White Fang member they come across, but also the checkpoints along the way. Checkpoints teeming with Huntsmen.

A heavy sigh wracked with exhaustion, he gestured down the path. “Lead the way. It’ll take us all day to even reach it.”

“Fuck no, I’m waiting until nightfall. It’s way too hot.”

“The longer we take, the longer our target has to hide herself away.” He pointed out. “We’ve been away from camp for months. I want to return as fast as possible.”

“Miss your buddy?” Iya dodged a swipe from him. “Hey, hey! It ain’t just avoiding the heat that I want, we’re less likely to be spotted at night.”

“Wandering around in the dark is not something I’d like to entertain.”

“Either we wait it out, or you carry me. I just flew nearly a hundred klicks, do you have any idea how tiring that is?” She complained, rubbing her shoulder gingerly.

Banesaw didn’t have time to argue. He was sick of being so far away from the White Fang camp, from Kaanchana, and didn’t want to spend any more time than he absolutely needed to with Iya and on this mission. His absence made him paranoid. What if Kaanchana needed him? What if something happened while he was away, something that he could’ve prevented if he had not been sent away?

Without a second thought, he grabbed Iya by her shoulders and hoisted her over his shoulder. Wings rested awkwardly on his head, he listened to her angry ranting while walking down the path once more. “Oi, oi, when I said carry me, I didn’t mean like a sack of rice! Lemme sit on your shoulders again!”

“This way’s easier.”

With that, any words she venomously spat in his ear were tuned out. The journey ahead was long, and while it was something he had grown used to in his decades of experience, it was still hard work walking for miles and miles while carrying Iya over his shoulder.

As hours rolled by, the sun finally reached the horizon again, casting the endless hills and forests in darkness. Only the moon lit the way, bathing the paths in a silver glow. Exhaustion made Banesaw sluggish, barely dragging himself and Iya up a sloped path while she laid against his shoulder. 

She hadn’t made a sound in a while. It was too easy to hope that she had simply fallen asleep, her voice piping up suddenly. “Hey, looks like we’re close.”

“How can you tell? All these trees and rocks look the same.” He grumbled back.

Finally, he reached the top of the hill, taking a moment to catch his breath as he dropped the heavy weight off his shoulders. Even though Iya landed fine, she glared at him before turning around to where they were heading. 

The path had reached its end. With only cliffs in front of them, the way down was directly down from where they stood, only a straight drop between them and the bottom of the valley between the cliffs. The view was stunning. Trees that grew right on the sides of the cliffs, jutting out from the grey stone with branches spreading wide, trying to catch all the sunlight it could during the days. With night upon them, shadows casted across the entire valley.

If it was just humans travelling, the train tracks snaking through the mountains would’ve been easily missed. Yet the long winding tracks were spotted more easily by the two Faunus. 

“Best settle down, it’ll be awhile before a train comes through here.” Banesaw suggested.

“Don’t need to tell me twice.” Iya had already taken to a thick tree branch, resting up against the trunk with her helmet visor shuttering down. That familiar beak shape covered her eyes, but Banesaw knew better than to assume she wasn’t watching him closely.

Silently, he sat down at the base of that same tree, feeling the summer breeze on his skin as it blew through the forest. Eerie echoing in the distance, it felt like the forest was alive. Breathing. 

What little silence he could enjoy was broken when Iya piped up again. “I gotta ask you something.”

“ _ What? _ ” He growled back in annoyance.

She didn’t snap back. Resting in her elevated spot, she kept on talking like usual. “What’d you think about what happened that day? When Adam blew up that train?”

“What the fuck brought this on?”

“Well, it’s important since there’s increased security on all the stations around Northern Vale. Ol’ Ozpin even spared more Huntsmen to fight back.” She elaborated. “It had a whole hour on the news. Looks like Kaa and Sienna have more on their hands than they can deal with.”

“If Leader Naga and the High Leader worry you so much, why do you care so much about my opinion?”

“‘Cause we’re working together, fatass. I admit I’m a lotta things, but there’s one thing in this world that matters, it’s fucking loyalty. I don’t like fat snakes telling me what to do when they’re only out for themselves.” She snapped. “You’re always giving your opinion on what I do. If we find Blake and you can’t do your job-”

A fist against the thick bark shut Iya up. It wasn’t powerful enough to break the trunk in half, instead splintering the wood and leaving a deep crater in it.

If it wasn’t the frightening display of strength that got to her, it was the cold tone in Banesaw’s voice. “Don’t you  _ ever  _ insinuate that I’ll betray the White Fang again.”

“Good to know…” She murmured back, a faint smirk on her face when he settled back down. 

His annoyance flared to full on anger. Steaming, he tried his best to calm himself, telling himself that it was only a while longer that he’d have to personally deal with the jabbering woman. 

“You still didn’t answer my question.” 

A deep groan escaped his throat. Completely still in his spot, he gave the vaguest answer he could in hopes that it would satisfy Iya enough to leave him alone. “I believe it had to be done. If Leader Naga trusted the mission to Adam, then there had to be good reason for it in the first place.”

“So was it necessary because you believed it was or because Kaa said it was?”

He didn’t respond. Whether it was because he didn’t want to, or because deep down he couldn’t, went unsolved as the distant sounds of clacking train tracks caught his attention. 

Immediately on his feet, Banesaw approached the edge of the cliff again, joined quickly by Iya as they stared off into the distance. Smoke rolled into the night skies far from where they stood. Thick and black, it stood out against the stark white moon, drifting in the gentle winds that continued to blow past them. 

Iya kept her visor down, watching closely before piping up. “I can see the train coming now. With how fast its moving, you might wanna jump soon if you don’t wanna miss it.”

“Make out anything else?”

“Hold on…” She mumbled, pressing a finger against the side of her head while focusing. After a few moments, she gave her partner the answer he was waiting for. “Besides a few seemingly in the front with the driver, it doesn’t look like any are in the other carriages.”

“I’ll have to thank the man who gave you that helmet.”

“You could but you’ll have to swim to the bottom of the Frozen Seas to meet him.” She shot back.

A deep hum was his only response. Either way, Iya paid no more attention to him, jumping off the side of the cliff suddenly. It wasn’t long before Banesaw too jumped off. Straight off the cliff’s edge, he had no ground to slow his descent, falling straight down into the valley.

Despite that brief twinge of fear in his gut, he didn’t let it get any further. For a moment, he felt weightless, listening to the wind in his ears and the cold sting on his exposed arms. The tracks weren't even close to where he was falling, a few dozen feet in front of him while he fell. 

Suddenly, something caught him. The falling sensation in his gut vanished. Rather, he could swear he was flying, surprised by the sensation for a moment before the feeling of sharp talons gripping his upper arms started to sting. Wincing to himself, he quickly turned those parts of his arms to steel, listening as Iya grunted in exertion. 

A loud thud echoed through the valley when she dropped him on top of the train. Rolling briefly, he scraped his claws against the grey metal, leaving marks behind when he finally came to a stop.

Iya flew past him, managing to land safely on the train as well. Once they were sure they wouldn’t slip off and fall to their deaths, the White Fang members looked for a way inside. 

Large claws dug into the metal husk. Holding Banesaw in place, he climbed down to the side of the train, trying to ignore the sheer drop just below him as he shuffled towards a side door. It took some fiddling to open it while holding on, but luckily, he managed to open it enough for him to slip inside.

Out of the howling wind, he rubbed one of his arms gingerly. From behind him, the sound of Iya hopping inside reached his ears, her agitated voice hard to ignore while she hissed. “You have any idea how fucking heavy you get when you use that damn Semblance? It felt like I was carrying one of the fucking train boxcars.”

“It was either that or deal with your talons digging into my skin. I feel sorry for anyone who has to deal with that.” He snapped back, walking past stacked crates while paying them little attention. 

Perfectly labelled and tied down to stop them from falling everywhere during transport, he looked over the labels while Iya shut the door behind them. The entire boxcar fell into darkness. Even still, he could read the printed words. “Looks like we’re in luck. These crates are heading straight for Samson’s Valley.”

“So we’re heading straight for the border. Great, we don’t have to swap platforms.” Iya joked, immediately making herself comfortable amongst some of the crates. 

Banesaw wasn’t so easily comforted. Standing up from the crates, he glanced around, hearing muffled talking and whimpering around him. A cautious step forward, he followed after the noise. The source seemed to have been behind a few stacks of crates conveniently moved to cover whoever was hiding. 

Moving some out of the way, he paused, only able to pipe up quietly. “Seems like we’re not alone.”

Right before him, a lone woman sat crouched down in a small space between all the crates. As soon as Banesaw appeared before her, she tensed up, holding a small bundle in her arms as those wide eyes stared up at him. She looked terrified.

But that wasn’t what caught his attention. Rather, the bundle in her arms moved, a small arm peeking out from the dirty fabric and immediately caught his attention.

Kneeling down, he finally saw fully what the woman was hiding. A baby. Only half a year old at most, it was squirming around, its pudgy little face pinched together with frustrated cries echoing in the cramped space. No matter how much the mother tried to comfort her baby, its cries went on, leaving her sitting there with exhausted eyes and messy hair pulled back in a loose bun. 

Small round ears sat on top of her head. Barely visible amongst the thick hair, Banesaw noticed them immediately, giving them a quick glance before turning his attention back to the baby. “What’s upsetting him?”

“His first teeth are coming through.” The woman confessed. “He’s been crying for days. The guards will find me if I can’t get him to stop.”

“Looks like we ain’t the only ones hoping for a free train ride.” Iya pointed out from her spot.

Quietly, Banesaw watched the poor baby as he continued to cry. Suddenly, he got up to his feet again, approaching the same crates he was just looking at. Nailed in wood kept most would be thieves away, but Banesaw found little resistance as he tore the top off like it was nothing. Splintered wood in his grip, he peered inside. 

Bottles of North Vale whiskey, just as what was marked on the labels. Picking one of the bottles up, he returned to the woman quickly, kneeling back down as he took the pacifier hanging around the infant’s neck. 

“Whiskey helps soothe their gums.” He explained, dipping the rubber part in the bottle briefly before gently placing it in the baby’s mouth. 

For a moment, the baby sucked on it, uncertain of the intrusive object before slowly growing to accept it. 

As he settled down once more, Banesaw muttered to the mother. “There. He should be calm for a few hours. That should be enough time for you to rest.”

An exhausted smile spread across her face. Silence growing between them, she could only look down at her baby, unsure what to say in gratitude to this stranger who helped her. Banesaw kept to himself, watching this poor woman who looked like she was ready to faint from exhaustion, quickly holding his hands out.

“I can mind him while you rest.” He offered. 

“You don’t have to. I can handle him.” She tried to protest, though not really snatching him away from Banesaw’s hands.

“You’re exhausted. Tell me where you plan to get off and I’ll keep an eye out for you.”

There was hesitation. He didn’t blame her, knowing that his appearance and outfit put fear in even the most trusting of souls, but his genuine desire to help shone through. Maybe it was because he too was clearly a Faunus, his long claws out for everyone to see, but whether it was their shared heritage that pushed her to slowly nod in agreement, he couldn’t say.

Either way, he was gentle when the baby was passed to him. Like he was made of glass, Banesaw handled him with the utmost care, cradling him while the woman finally let herself relax. Eyes slowly fell shut, her body relaxing after who knows how long being on edge.

He didn’t move until he was sure she was asleep. As soon as he was positive she was, he moved away, taking the baby to a spot against some more crates. With a soft grunt, he sat down and tried to get as comfortable as he could.

Iya watched him like a hawk. With her helmet visor pulled back up to reveal her face, the way her irises shrunk every time the baby made a noise set Banesaw on edge again, unsure whether she would strike or not. He had never seen her move to harm a child, at least not one as young as an infant, but he knew better than to trust her moral code.

Soon enough, the baby started to whimper again, his tiny hand reaching up to Banesaw. Quietly, he rocked the infant back to sleep. “Rest now, little one.”

“You look like you’ve done this before.” Iya noted.

“Once upon a time, yes.”

“You know, you never told any of us about your life. Before you joined the White Fang.” Iya glanced away momentarily. “You joined before I did.”

“Because my past is my business. No one else’s.”

“Is that why you changed your name? Your whole identity?” 

He glared up at her while she continued. “You think I’ll trust my life to the man who won’t even trust me with his name? I ain’t asking for your whole sob story, just something to put to your face.”

“You preach a lot about trust for someone who never told a soul what she did before joining our group.” Banesaw shot back, before sighing quietly. “If it’ll get you to shut the fuck up, though…”

She barely hid her giddiness, sitting up with her feet propped up on another crate.

“I had a life before the White Fang. I suppose everyone you ask would say the same. Lots of us were farmers, fishermen, soldiers, even parents. Before Leader Naga found me, I lived in the Khangris Mountains, in a village so small you wouldn’t even find it on the map.” He started, glancing down at the infant in his arms. “I had the ideal life. Family, stability, I was strong enough to protect my wife and my kids from anything.”

“Never would’ve pinned you to be the married type.” Iya pointed out.

He didn’t reply immediately. Thoughtful, he rocked the baby gently. “In the villages around Khangris, arranged marriages were just something that happened. We didn’t argue against it. I didn’t love her like you would.”

“Poor woman.”

“That’s not it. I felt no romantic love for her, but she was the one thing in my life that meant something to me. She was my closest friend, and I respected her. That was enough for her.” He paused for a moment. “We always wanted children. A year after our marriage, we had twins. I suppose holding this baby brought back some memories. Of a happier time, at least…”

Iya didn’t make any sort of quip at that. Surprisingly, she seemed thoughtful, looking away from Banesaw with a faint frown on her face. 

There, his story fell short. All that he felt comfortable sharing was spoken, leaving him sitting there with one question on his mind. “It’s your turn to answer some questions.”

“Go ahead.”

“Who were you before the White Fang?”

For a moment, he thought that she would decline to answer in her usual way, deflecting any uncomfortable feelings with jokes and foul words. But she didn’t.

Rather, she answered in a surprisingly calm voice. “I was a little bird caught in the big cage that was Atlas.”

“Surprisingly poetic for you.”

“Shut up.” She snapped at him. “What’s there to say? You know what Atlas is like, my story is shared with hundreds of other Faunus.”

“And your legs? Last I checked, we didn’t give you them.” He pressed further.

Talons instinctively flexed with his mention of her prosthetics. Sharps claws briefly coming out from their sheaths, he eyed them cautiously, watching them slip back inside her feet while Iya muttered. “The world always harped on about the might of Atlas. How they pioneered everything we take for granted. Machines, vehicles, prosthetics, but they never bothered to look at the cost of it all.”

The air went cold. As if they were plunged into the depths of winter, Banesaw could feel goosebumps forming up and down his arms, that shiver down his spine telltale to Iya’s destabilising mental state. 

Those purple eyes, usually shiny and bright even when she shed someone’s blood, were lifeless. No longer able to see the whites, he sat there while she continued. “I was a little girl born with no legs. My patron decided that his song bird would look the part, and the doctors wanted test subjects to try out their machinery. I was that test subject.”

“What did they do to you?”

“I ain’t spilling it all out. All you gotta know is that it wasn’t fucking pleasant.” She growled. “Patrons in Atlas had a thing for the pretty Faunus. You wouldn’t find an hornet or a gorilla up in the city, they’d be in the mines or in the gangs. You do what you were told and you lived it up in the clouds. But they decided what you said, what you ate, even how you dressed. If they told you to do something, you did it, no matter how much you didn’t want to.”

The anger in her tone was easy to pick up. Feet digging into the wooden crates, Banesaw noticed the wood splintering under the force. 

And then, a coldblooded chuckle left Iya’s lips. “I didn’t like that. So, I took control for once, and it felt  _ great. _ ”

“What’d you do?”

There, her gaze focused entirely on him. Those same eyes were shrunken so much that he couldn’t even see the purple of her irises, feeling the blood lust practically dripping off of Iya when she confessed gleefully.

“I ripped his intestines out and hung him from his balcony with them.”

That made him almost shiver. Every other threat that Iya gave, all the gruesome details and acts of violence she did, none were done with such glee and pleasure as the one she just described. A wide grin spread on her face, the look of pure psychopathy making Banesaw doubt Kaanchana’s decision to allow the bird Faunus into their organisation.

Those doubts were never voiced. Not because he was scared of Iya, there was no fear in his heart regarding her, but because the idea of doubting his leader seemed so foreign to him. She had never led him astray before.

He wouldn’t let it start now. 

Iya seemed to accept the end of the conversation there and then, turning away with a quick yawn. “Either way, I’m catching some shut eye before we get there. Don’t let the kid wake me up.”

“After the way you’ve made me carry you all day, I hope he screams your fucking eardrums out.”

She flipped him off at that. With an amused chuckle, he too settled down for the journey. 

It was long and tiring, with the loud clacking of train wheels against the tracks waking Banesaw up periodically. If it weren't for the train itself, the cries of the baby did the job just as well, snapping him back to restless nights with his own children. It didn’t take much to lull the infant back to sleep. 

Eventually, he was given rest when the mother, having gotten enough sleep over their long train ride, crept over to him and took her son back with gratitude. He thought nothing of it. Seeing her well rested and eager to hold her baby, rather than huddled away terrified and exhausted, it made him feel better. Made it easier to stomach what he would have to do when he eventually got off the train.

Iya didn’t seem fussed. All the way down the coast of the continent, she slept soundly. Only when the train slowed down for the last stop did she stur from her slumber.

It wasn’t that hard to sneak off the train by the time the guards came to check the stock. Iya was the first to disappear, vanishing into the dry bushes and trees that covered the train station. Banesaw, however, was slower, helping the woman off before making sure she too escaped from the guards casually patrolling the boxcars.

As soon as he was certain she was safe, he let her go from his grip. “There’s a settlement near the base of Samson’s Valley. You know how to get there?”

“The mountains? I know where to go.” She confessed. “I’ll be fine. Thank you for your help.”

“It was no trouble.” 

With a grateful nod, the woman turned and, like a ghost, vanished into the foliage. There was a moment where he thought about guiding her further, knowing that the paths, while travelled through regularly, were still a dangerous place for a mother and her child. 

Yet he didn’t. As much as he wanted to help fellow Faunus, he was needed elsewhere. So, with a final glance in the direction the woman disappeared off too, he turned and walked away, following after the distant figure of Iya soaring up in the skies.

Samson’s Valley. The name of the mountain range separating Vale from Vacuo, it was the desert kingdom’s first defense against invaders. If any managed to get through, they then had to deal with the Scarlet Fields; miles upon miles of red desert flowers, their pollen acting like a sleeping gas that knocked out any fool that wandered too close. If the sun didn’t roast them alive, the tribes that protected their lands finished them off.

Since neither Banesaw nor Iya were native to Vacuo, wandering into the fields would’ve been suicide. But the same also went for Blake. 

That being said, the search through the mountains was a tremendous task for just two people. Any traveller they came across hadn’t seen another person outside their group, let alone a teenage girl who looked like she had no business in the mountains. 

Days turned to nights. Nights turned to weeks. Eventually, Banesaw struck gold with one particular merchant walking through the winding roads with his caravan of alpacas and family. 

A thick beard and long mustache covered his mouth, those small eyes squinting more when he looked down at the picture. While the sun was practically baking Banesaw, the elderly man seemed unfazed by the heat or the thin mountain air.

“Oh, I haven’t seen anyone on my travels quite like her.” He confessed. “But, if you’re looking for a Faunus, I would try in the Leib tribe.”

“The Leib tribe?” Iya parroted back, perched up on a huge boulder nearby.

“They’re the tribe that controls most of Samson’s Valley. Last time I ran into them was a few days ago, actually, near Delilah’s Pillars just a day’s walk from here.” He explained, pointing off in a direction. “Many of us do trade with them, keep them in the good books so they allow us to pass. Most Faunus that can’t get into Vacuo legally find sanctuary there.”

“Then that’s our best bet.” Banesaw grunted while putting the picture of Blake back in his tunic’s pocket.

As he passed the merchant, his wispy voice called after him. “Best be careful, sir. The Leib tribe are very protective of their own. You don’t want to start a fight with them.”

“We’re simply there to find our friend.” He brushed off.

“Yeah,” Iya piped up from her perch. “Personal business. Thanks for your help, old timer.”

The elderly merchant didn’t say anything when the White Fang members left him alone. They didn’t give him a chance to, vanishing into the long roads and steep valleys that wound all through the mountain range. 

There was at least some truth to the merchant’s words. Delilah’s Pillars were a day’s walk from where they had met him, at least for Banesaw, and when they finally came across the site, there was the tribe they were looking for. As they stumbled to the edge of the cliff overlooking the camp site, Banesaw let out an exhausted sigh of relief at the sight of it all.

Thousands of years had its effect on the place, the dust storms and few rain storms that came over this part of Remnant leaving Delilah’s Pillars worn and weak, some of the natural pillars formed in the rock’s face having broken and collapsed over time. Those that remained standing held the rocky cliffs up, providing needed shade for the people and their livestock. 

Like ants, they walked among the colourful tents, adorned with fabrics woven with many colours, propped up to give the tribe some shelter from the boiling sun and freezing nights.

From beside him, he heard Iya land softly. “Think that’s the tribe?”

“This is Delilah’s Pillars. Unless a new tribe of Faunus moved in, I think this is it.” He pointed out curtly, taking a step down the steep path. “Wait here.”

“What? Why?!”

“‘Cause I know you. If I let you down there, we’ll end up with half the tribe dead before we even find Blake.”

She didn’t try to argue. Like a child, she sat down cross legged, looking away with a pout on her face. Banesaw paid her no attention, making his way down the path as he approached the unsuspecting tribe.

His presence didn’t go unnoticed for too long, the shouts and commotion grabbing his attention before the physical appearance of other Faunus did. Brandishing spears, swords, any weapon that could be made with the mountain range’s limited resources, they encircled Banesaw with distrust clear in their eyes. 

Slowly, he raised his hands, taking note not to make any sudden movements in case he scared them.

“What is the meaning of this?” A booming voice called out. The person was nowhere to be seen, though the sight of some of the Faunus moving aside caught Banesaw’s attention. 

When he finally saw the face to the voice, he was not surprised. The man seemed like a native to Vacuo, with the typical dark skin, scarred flesh and hardened stare. Slit pupils watched Banesaw closely, having no irises, while his silver hair mostly covered by a sandy coloured head cover. The only hair to be seen was his thick beard and mustache.

On top of that, he was a hulking man. Nearly matching Banesaw in height, he was more round than muscular, his stomach swollen and restrained by his golden yellow sash that kept his deep blue tunic in place. Most of his body was covered in the loose fabric, protecting the man from the harsh sun.

That same distrust on his face was clear in his voice when he spoke. “I’ve never seen your face before. What’s brought you here?”

“I’ve lost someone, and I was told she may be here in your tribe.” Banesaw explained, pulling out the picture to show to the man. “Here.”

Approaching, the leader snatched the picture from Banesaw’s grip, going over it carefully with narrowed eyes. Occasionally, he glanced back up at the White Fang lieutenant. 

“I’ve never seen this girl.” He revealed, giving the picture back. “Now you must leave. You’re upsetting my people, and we have to move soon if we want water to last the summer.”

There was something else. A niggling thought in the back of Banesaw’s head, something that told him there was more than what the tribe’s leader was telling him. 

Yet he knew better than to push. These Faunus were already on edge, and if he started poking, there would no doubt be a fight on his hands. Thankfully, Iya’s voice crackled over the earpiece he had. “Hey, you might wanna get back up here fast.”

He didn’t reply to her, instead turning away with a quick goodbye. “I’m sorry for disturbing you and your tribe.”

“I appreciate your apology. Now, please leave us alone.” The leader pushed.

They kept an eye on Banesaw all the way back up to the top of the cliff. Once he moved out of their line of sight, he spotted Iya perched up on a ledge above him, her visor down while she scanned across the wide range of the mountains.

“What’d they say?”

“Blake isn’t there.”

“Well, they’re fucking lying ‘cause I just saw the little stray run off that way!” She growled in anger, pointing up at a pathway that stretched even higher into the mountains. “If she gets further in the mountains, we’ll never find her!”

“I can’t make it that fast across this valley.” Banesaw confessed, staring down at the high drop below his feet.

From beside him, he heard Iya snarl in frustration, her talons suddenly gripping his shoulders while she pointed out. “I ain’t gonna be able to use my speed while carrying you, but it’ll be faster than tryna find a way down for you.”

Any kind of protest fell short when she hoisted him into the air. Unable to activate his own Semblance in fear of slowing Iya down more, he was forced to deal with the pain of sharp metal talons digging into his flesh, only his Aura stopping them from doing real damage. 

Thankfully, the pain was short lived. As soon as the other side of the valley was in sight, he felt Iya let go of him, flying ahead while he plummeted to the ground below. As soon as his feet hit the dirt and stone, he rolled to absorb the shock. His knee ached when he landed on it, looking up the path that he would have to run up with a tired stare, watching Iya soar off without him. 

“Not good. Not good.” He muttered quickly to himself, taking off after her and Blake. 

Even though he grew up in the mountains, they were covered in snow and ice. Dragging his weight up with thin air and boiling heat was nearly impossible, leaving Banesaw huffing and puffing while he ran along the path. His mask felt like a furnace. With his face on fire with each breath, he barely noticed something coming at him from the side.

On instinct, his arm shot up to block whatever blow came from him. Metal rang against metal, but before he knew it, whatever attacked him vanished into shadows, leaving a sharp pain in his back that forced him to his knees. 

Stunned, he felt a heavy weight on the back of his neck. The blow itself pushed him down onto the ground. For a moment, the weight lingered, and then it vanished, replaced with the sound of footsteps retreating from him fast. With an angered huff, Banesaw forced himself back onto his feet, looking ahead to see none other than Blake running from him.

“No use running now!” He shouted after her, giving chase.

The chase through the mountains was strenuous. Blake might not have been as strong as Banesaw, but she made up for that with speed and agility. Like a cat, she zipped through the rough terrain, hopping over gaps left in the path and scaling up walls, leaving Banesaw trailing behind.

Hopping up onto a boulder, Blake backflipped off the fall, using a shadow clone to propel herself up onto a ledge high above her pursuer. Her voice echoed through the valley as she shouted in fear. “Leave me alone!”

For a moment, he wanted to. But he didn’t. Pushing himself past the doubt, he pulled his fist back and, with his skin hardening, he punched the wall hard. The blow sent a shockwave through the stone, causing the rock face to crumble underneath Blake’s very feet.

A gasp of shock escaped her lips. As the rocks fell down around her, she backflipped away, landing on the path before leaving a shadow clone to take the damage of rocks falling right on top of it. As the dust cleared, Blake was left standing just a few feet from Banesaw. There, he could see the fear in her multi colored eyes. 

“Why’re you doing this?” She snapped at him. “Please, just go away and leave me alone.”

“The rules are final, Blake. No one is allowed to leave the White Fang.”

The fact that he wasn’t going to leave her stuck with Blake. Finally, she raised her weapons, holding them in front of her even when Banesaw could clearly see her shaking. 

No other words were shared. Right there on the path winding through the mountains, the two Faunus fought, meeting each other face to face with Blake immediately dashing for him. A fist thrown to her face only managed to hit another clone. Using the bait, Blake dodged to the side, using her dual weapons to slice at Banesaw’s side, leaving behind clones when he tried to retaliate.

Dashing around him, she was a blur. All he could see were shadows quickly vanishing, the sting of her blade stabbing at his flesh. Just then, she ran up his back, flipping off while throwing Gambol Shroud back at him. It missed his head by inches. Any relief he felt was short-lived when a loud gunshot rang in his ears, the folded blade zipping past him as Blake swung it around quickly. 

Fast strikes chipped away at him. In frustration, he grabbed hold of the ribbon that whipped around him, stopping Gambol Shroud from hitting him again as he yanked Blake closer. With his strength, he flung the teenager everywhere, slamming her into the ground multiple times before tossing her right over the edge.

Blake didn’t plummet down below, rather she was caught midair by the sudden appearance of Iya. Like prey in a hawk’s talons, she was powerless to stop the grown woman from flying straight for the cliff’s face, only able to shout in pain when she was slammed face first into the hard stone.

There, she was dropped to the ground. Banesaw moved to punch her again while she was falling, only to hit shadows and Blake rolling down his back to safety. A slice to the back of his calves had him spinning around in anger.

With Iya now on the scene, what little chance Blake had of making a clean escape vanished. Now she was fighting for her life. 

Metal skin sparked when her blades scraped against them. His mask protecting most of his face, he powered through, using his brute strength to shrug off Blake’s countless attacks and try to pin her down. In the air, Iya swooped down to join the fight, using her speed to hit and run until Blake was left exhausted and struggling. 

In her desperation, she ran further up the mountain. While Iya and Banesaw gave chase, he found the heat and exhaustion proving more and more difficult to ignore.

Even Iya was slowing down. A bird Faunus used to travelling in high altitudes, she was one of the few people to handle mountain air better despite not coming from communities that lived in those terrains. The way she paused as Banesaw overtook her, he knew neither of them would last longer. 

That just pushed him to end the fight quickly.

The higher mountains were covered in dust, dirt and stone. Never seeing the touch of water, it was like a sand pit, the ground harder for the Faunus to travel along. Even Blake knew she would have an impossible time escaping, jumping down from a ledge above to surprise Banesaw.

Before she could hit him, Iya struck, grabbing Blake with her talons again before taking off. Right against the wall, she dragged Blake against it. The stone cut into her flesh, the pained cries only spurring Iya on as she threw Blake’s body down to where Banesaw stood. 

Suddenly, Blake’s clone appeared again, taking Banesaw’s blow while Blake herself managed to get airborne again. The evasive move only helped until Iya smacked her to the ground again.

Rolling backwards from another blow from Iya, Blake raised her sword on instinct when Banesaw attacked again. His fist met the blade head on, and there he heard it. Shattering steel. It rang in his ears, the sight of Blake’s sword shattering into pieces, the hilt and the tip of the sword left as they fell to the ground. 

The force behind it threw Blake backwards a couple of feet. Yelling out in pain and shock, she rolled helplessly across the path. Slowly, she came to a stop, exhausted and panting while laying there on the ground.

There was no rest for her. As she laid there, Iya dropped down with her feet hitting Blake square in the back, knocking the wind out of her and shattering what little Aura she had left. Black light breaking like glass, she was left weak and defeated on the ground. They had won. But Iya was not done toying around.

Talons sprung out of her feet, digging into the flesh of Blake’s back, hard enough to draw blood. Red staining the black and white fabric of her shirt, she could only scream in pain. Fingers dug at the ground. Desperate to escape, to stop the pain inflicted on her.

Finally, Banesaw stepped in. “Enough, Iya.”

Purple eyes shot up to him, that shining giddiness dulling down to disappointment as he shoved her away.

“We don’t do this to be cruel.” He snapped, moving to grab Blake and quickly end the fight.

Suddenly, his hand was slapped away. That moment of defiance stunned him longer than any blow. Even with her Aura broke, her wounds bleeding profusely, Blake refused to let herself be put down like a dog. Slowly, she dragged herself backwards, trying to put as much distance between her and her attackers. 

But there was only so much space she could go. The rocks on the edge fell when her hand touched it, her arm falling with it. Barely righting herself, Blake could only give one last glare before she rolled off the side of the cliff. 

Banesaw’s shouts echoed through the mountains. “ _ No!” _

Any attempt to stop her was futile. A hand grabbed his upper arm, stopping him from rushing to the edge. From beside him, Iya warned him. “You go near, and you’ll soon join her.”

Anger boiled inside of him, his arm wrenched from her grip. “That didn’t need to happen. You should’ve put the girl out of her misery.”

“Coulda, woulda, shoulda. I don’t get a place to sleep and three meals for morality, and it’s like Kaa said,” she crossed her arms. “There’s no morality in war.”

“It’s not morality to at least treat your target with some honour before they die.”

“You mean like how you helped kill all those people in Junior’s club? Call me whatever you want, I make no attempt to say what I am, but if there’s one thing I hate it’s hypocrites. If I’m a monster, you’re worse.”

Banesaw glared at her as she walked away. “And how’s that?”

“Cause I don’t hide behind a mask when I kill people. They look me in the eyes and they know what they’re getting. You? You’re just a pack of lies trying to hide what you really are.” She paused for a moment, turning to look at him over her shoulder. “Accept it. All this gets easier when you do.”

With that said, she turned back around, making her way down the path with an exhausted sigh. “Job’s done. Best head back to Vale and catch up with Adam.”

“You don’t even want to check out if she’s dead?”

“I’m too tired to fly down there and confirm what I already know. You can’t survive a fall like that.” She waved off, picking up the shattered remains of Blake's sword. “Either way, we got a long way back, and I wanna hurry and give the bad news to Adam so I can go home. It’s been way too long.”

The idea of returning to Vale so soon didn’t sit right with Banesaw. In all honesty, he just wanted to return back to their camp, tired and sore from months of being on the road and fighting with just one other person to rely on. 

And his fears were proven right, especially when they returned to Vale and caught Adam near those docks. Banesaw hadn’t suspected that he would bring a human with him. Even with the arguing, the fact that he’d rather she went back to the Academy, his new  _ home,  _ made Banesaw question if this was the Adam he knew only half a year prior to that day. Still, that anger remained.

More shocks caught him that night. The human he had fought, one who had given him some trouble with those pesky bombs, wasn’t a human at all. At least, not fully. Her father rushing to her rescue, his giant curved horns clear for everyone to see, it surprised Banesaw.

Still, they stood against him. In another time, the man against him would’ve stood by Banesaw’s side, eager to fight for the rights of their people, but that time was not then. A seasoned Huntsman with decades of experience gave more trouble than any of the opponents Banesaw had faced in a long time. In fact, the rush of adrenaline was almost  _ addictive.  _

By the end of the fight, Banesaw was broken. Aura destroyed, back torn apart with shotgun pellets, exhausted to the point of not being able to move, he had thought he was down for the count. Only Iya saving him gave him some hope of returning to Kaanchana.

His dead weight proved a challenge for her to move. Without a doubt, she spent the whole time trying to get Banesaw back to their camp outside the city complaining. 

Eventually, she resorted to using an abandoned wagon to pull him along, having to take frequent breaks when the strain proved too much. Upon reaching the camp, the humiliating situation he had returned in was aggravating to say the least.

But that anger quickly gave way to worry when Kaanchana saw the state he was in. Cold words practically hissed as she ushered him and Iya into her tent. “Inside. Both of you.”

While she was furious, her actions proved otherwise towards him. Gently, like a mother helping her child, she guided Banesaw over to her own bed, allowing him to lay down on his stomach before sending one of the lower ranking members away. “Fetch the medic.”

They scurried away.

All alone, Banesaw laid there, feeling the ripples of pain spread through his back while his wounds continued to bleed. Gently, Kaanchana removed his mask, setting it down on her war table before turning her attention to Iya.

“Explain to me very carefully.” She started, her voice cold and quiet. “How is it that you come back to me like this, after sending you to take care of  _ one  _ teenager girl?”

“Uhhh, it wasn’t exactly Blake that did thi-”

“Then  _ who was it? _ ” Kaanchana snapped. Immediately in front of Iya, she gripped the other woman’s face tightly, puckering her lips out while green eyes peered into Iya’s.

Though it was difficult to speak, Iya managed to mutter the words out. “A Huntsman in Vale City.”

“And what were you two doing in the kingdom’s capital?”

“...Tryna use some leads there to find Blake.” The grip on Iya’s face tightened. “And to… keep an eye on Adam.”

“You think I’m a fool? You think that I wouldn’t keep a close eye on the news, watching your every move? The attack on Hei Xiong’s club, was that your doing?”

Iya didn’t want to respond. Eyes drifting off to the side, she winced when Kaanchana tightened some more, her long nails pinching the winged woman’s cheeks. 

“Ow, dammit! Okay! Yeah, it was!” She conceded.

The look of rage in Kaanchana’s eyes had Iya scrambling to defend herself. “It was for a good cause! Junior didn’t wanna work with White Fang, so we took the rewards for Adam’s hard work! Soon as we knew where Blake was, we left the city immediately!”

“Then  _ why  _ is there a news report about a White Fang attack connected to Beacon’s new student,  _ Adam Taurus!” _

“Shit, they covered that already?”

Kaanchana remained unimpressed by that.

Letting go of Iya’s face, she instead turned around to her table, throwing her hands up in exasperation while she ranted. “I ordered you both to not go anywhere near Adam! I specifically told you! And what did you both do, you went and deliberately disobeyed me! Not only could you have gotten yourself killed, or killed Adam, but you’ve brought unwanted attention right to our doorstep!”

“On the bright side, Adam’s not dead.” Iya pointed out. “And now that his sister’s outta the picture, he ain’t got no reason to stay in Beacon.”

“That will not matter if there’s no White Fang for him to return to. Did you stop to think about the backlash we would face, a whole massacre and an attack on Beacon’s students on our name?”

“Uh… no.”

“No, you didn’t! Now Sienna is furious with me, and we could lose everything if we don’t make the right allies before Beacon turns its attention on us!”

Iya didn’t say anything in retort. Seeing Kaanchana so furious with her, she knew better than to stir the fire, taking the lecture with a scowl and nothing more.

It seemed to have worked at least. With the anger out, their leader took a deep breath, collecting herself before continuing in that same calm voice. “However, you have done what I set you out to do. I am not so blind as to ignore that. Your work to our cause is noted, and I personally thank you both for getting one thing right.”

“We apologise for causing you so much stress, Leader Naga.” Banesaw grunted from his spot on the bed.

“Your guilty confessions can wait until you’re strong enough to stand.” Kaanchana brushed off, moving past Iya with a final word. “Iya, I wish to talk to you in private about what you know on Adam.”

“Sure thing, boss.” 

Even though she seemed eager to be anywhere but there, Iya did obey her superior and followed Kaanchana out of the tent. There, Banesaw was left all alone. 

It wasn’t long before the medic came in. The wounds on his back weren't too serious, mostly surface damage, but it would take a few weeks of recovery before Banesaw was fit enough to return to his duties. That long doing nothing seemed like hell, but there was little he could do about it. Asking the medic’s advice, he decided to return to his own tent to spend some alone time.

Before he could leave, another low ranking White Fang member came in, carrying a large briefcase. “Lieutenant Banesaw, I was asked to give this to you.”

“What is it?” He questioned.

“It’s a gift asked for by Leader Naga. She said that you deserved it for your hard work in the White Fang, despite the mistakes made in Vale City.” The member explained, putting the briefcase down on the war table. 

Having delivered the package, he bowed slightly and swiftly left the room. Alone, Banesaw quickly approached the case, unable to deny the curiosity that pulled at him.

As soon as he opened it, he was greeted with a stunning sight. A chainsaw. Giant compared to the table, its silver metal gleamed under the lamplight that glowed beside him, the metalwork professional with each serrated tooth on the belt sharpened. Its weight heavy in his grip when he lifted it up, he had to put it back down when pain flared in his back.

When he was stronger, he could wield it with pride. His hard work was paying off. Despite the stress he unintentionally put on his leader, he knew that she recognised and appreciated his contributions, the trust that she put in him alone filling the man with pride. That same pride was only dampened when he remembered how he exactly earned it.

The picture of Blake lying broken on the ground haunted him. Her blood staining the ground, how she was filled with anger and fear and grief to her incoming death. A child had thrown herself off the cliff rather than allow her pursuers kill her. 

That negativity was pushed away, Banesaw shaking his head free of those thoughts, instead focusing on the sad truth. It had to be done. He couldn’t stand against Kaanchana, and he couldn’t turn his back on her. What he felt was irrelevant. What he  _ wanted  _ was irrelevant. 

He wouldn’t make the same mistakes again. He’d be the weapon that Kaanchana needed him to be. 


	18. Beneath The Surface

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Semblances are the physical manifestation of the soul. So to see his Semblance so twisted, so dangerous, it scares Zanthus. He ran to protect his friends, but as he wanders around Beacon, he finds himself plagued by memories past.

He didn’t know how long he kept running. 

All Zanthus knew was that by the time he finally stopped, the moon had already passed the halfway point in the sky, barely illuminating anything with most of its shattered body hidden away by dark clouds. As he spared a glance up above, those same clouds started to gather, the distant sound of thunder warning him of the incoming storm. 

Shelter was most important at the moment. Mind surprisingly blank, his body ran on auto pilot. Searching constantly, he looked in every nook and cranny, managing to avoid the more unsavory citizens of Vale City while he looked for somewhere to rest. 

Years on the streets taught him all he needed to know, the search one he’d done countless times before. At least now he didn’t have another child dependent on him to find somewhere warm. 

Finally, he found something. 

It wasn’t much. A broken window that led inside a clearly abandoned home, an eviction notice still taped to the sealed door. However long it was there for was unknown, but by how the exposed paper had become soggy and torn, the inked words barely legible, Zanthus knew it’s been abandoned for a long time. 

Ears twitched when rain tapped his head. Tiny pupils looking upwards, he noticed the storm clouds growing more and more, completely blocking out the moon and clear night skies now. 

He needed to get out of the rain before he started to come down with something. Hands gripping the window, careful not to grab any glass that was stuck in the woodwork, he lifted himself up and jumped through into the building itself. 

Broken glass crunched under his feet, echoing in the small space as he looked around nervously. Although no one was there, the air felt heavy with mold and stagnant water, the roof itself growing black with droplets of water dripping down onto the rotting wooden floor. Nose wrinkling at the smell, he walked through what could’ve been the living room, albeit its lack of furniture and completely destroyed appearance meant it could’ve been anything. 

Closely, he walked through the house. That same mold that plagued the front room carried through the entire building, the harsh smell making Zanthus cough harshly, covering his mouth with the crook of his elbow while walking up the stairs.

Same story up there. Rooms bare and rotting away, the puddles on the floor growing worse with the torrential rain pouring outside. As he entered the second bedroom, he watched the shadows of rain falling on the wall, backing towards the window itself. The loud thunder echoed throughout the entire city. Flashes of lightning briefly illuminated the room, casting Zanthus’ shadow everywhere as he sat on the windowsill. 

Thankfully, it wasn’t as wet as the floor. Thick cape insulating his body from the cold air, he pulled his legs up to his chest, curling in on himself as involuntary shivers ran through his entire body.

There, he finally noticed it. Hands resting on his knees, the golden vambraces still strapped to his wrists, he could still see the thick layers of blood staining the metal even in the pitch darkness. Dried fluid stiffening his gloves, he couldn’t stop the bile from raising as unwanted flashbacks raced through his mind.

Slowly, it started coming back. The cheering and shouting that rang in his ears, the dimly lit pit he had spent most of his teenage years in, the lasting pain and bruises that littered his body, the broken bones barely set properly or the blood that dripped from his split skin. Aching pain in his body made him weakly groan, hands gripping his hair tight enough to hurt. 

No matter how much he tried to will it away, the flashes of his memories kept coming. Slowly, those that had been locked away for years, the memories of that horrific event, it started to come to light. 

The tightening sensation around his neck worsened, like a noose being pulled, leaving Zanthus practically gasping for air. It burned. The room around him spun, leaving him nauseated and sweating despite the cold air all around him. He could hear the choking sounds, feel that muscular arm around his neck while people shouted all around him. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t breathe.

He couldn’t-

A sharp yell escaped his lips as he unbuckled the vambraces from his wrists, throwing them across the room. A dull thud echoed when they hit the wall on the other side. 

His hands couldn’t stop shaking. Quickly, he broke through the thin wooden slats that blocked the window, making a hole large enough for him to stick his hands out. The cool rain was a welcome on his skin, the sharp contrast managing to get him to focus enough to wash them clean of the blood. 

Red water dripped down as he scrubbed harshly, trying to get every speck from his hands. Soon, bronze skin appeared clean from the disgusting fluid, his dark gloves hiding what little remained. Good enough.

Quickly, he pulled his hands back inside, peeling the soaking gloves from his fingers before leaving them on the spot in front of him. It’d take forever for them to dry, but it was better than keeping them on his hands. There, he pressed his hands into his body, wrapping himself in his cape to at least keep himself warm. 

Exhaustion could barely describe the state he felt. Eyes drooping, he leaned against the wooden slats that still held up, listening to the storm raging outside. Soon enough, his eyes started to shut completely, leaving him sitting there as sleep took over. 

It didn’t last long.

Suddenly, the sound of something pounding on the door had Zanthus jolting upright. Heart hammered away in his chest, the frightened teenager glancing around to find himself still in the spot he had fallen asleep in, albeit the strange haze hovered in the room. Everything felt heavy. Like he couldn’t move no matter how hard he tried.

Helpless, he sat there, turning to stare at the closed door while voices echoed from behind it. He couldn’t make them out. Muffled, the rage and fear in them had Zanthus on edge, even more so when he heard crying. Was that a child?

Ears turned to face the door completely, he listened closely, trying to figure out what the voices were saying. Suddenly, a deep voice snapped. “Shut up!”

The sound of shattering glass, a woman screaming, and the crying only worsened. Deafening in his ears, Zanthus could hear his own breathing, quick and short gasps along with soft whimpering, though the deep reverb in his voice was all but gone. It sounded young, like a child. 

“Where is he?!” That same voice shouted. 

There, he could hear heavy footsteps stomping up the stairs. Each passing second they grew closer. His panicked breathing worsened, verging on the edge of a panic attack while Zanthus sat there, unable to move with his body frozen in fear. 

Suddenly, it fell silent. Eerie. The hairs on the back of his neck stood straight up, his heart beating so fast that he was certain it’d bust right out of his chest. Blood thumping in his ears, he stared at the door, waiting for the inevitable to come. 

The sound of the doorknob jiggling filled him with dread. It jiggled only a few seconds, before the door was finally wrenched open, and the dark void behind the door stared back.

Zanthus woke up with a quiet gasp.

Eyes snapped open, searching the room he was in frantically while his heart pounded away. Nothing. The room was the same one he had fallen asleep in, the only door wide open and the hallway beyond it clear to see. Gasping in breaths, he sat there without a word, trying to calm himself down before looking around some more.

The daylight that shone in through the cracks of the boarded up window lit up the room slightly. Peering through them, he could see the grey overcast skies above, the clouds from last night’s storm having passed through while he was asleep.

It was certainly one of the few nights he had gotten more than just a couple of hours. 

Still, he was exhausted. Eyes burning and mind feeling like it was made from putty, he slowly pulled himself from the spot he was sitting in. Bad idea. Stiffness made him groan quietly, hands pushing against the small of his back in hopes of cracking it, although he didn’t have much success. Months of sleeping in a comfortable bed made the times of sleeping rough all the more difficult. 

The smell of mold was even stronger than before. Coughing, he covered his mouth and nose with a hand, knowing that familiar stench all too well. Slowly, he trudged to the other side of the room, picking up the long abandoned weapons that he discarded last night. 

Water glistened on the worn metal, dripping off when Zanthus gave them a good shake. While still uncomfortably cold and wet, he strapped them back on regardless, using the water to at least wash the blood off. He wondered if Icheku was alright. 

He was still standing when Zanthus came to, but the idea of not remembering what he did while in that state, it frightened him. Not only did he hurt Eirian’s father, he almost hurt Adam. The sight of the latter’s face, his one eye widened in fear and shock, it stuck with the feline Faunus. He didn’t want to ever be in that position again. 

Cleaned weapons back on his person, he decided that it was for the best if he left the mold riddled house, unsure how long he could even stay before the fungus started to have a negative effect on him. 

Where he would go next was the last thing he was thinking, however. Exiting the house quickly, he at least took a moment to enjoy the clean air, able to smell the rain soaked grass that grew wildly in the abandoned gardens. Taking over the buildings, Zanthus spared a glance at them as he passed by, walking around aimlessly with his mind heavy with thoughts. 

Going back to Beacon was the last thing he wanted to do. After what he’d done, he couldn’t bear to face his team again, not so soon. So, he kept walking around, keeping to the alleyways and empty streets in hopes of avoiding anyone’s attention. 

Where would he go, though? There was little there for him, the only place he had was at the Academy. 

It was a question he didn’t have the answer to, unable to think clearly with his volatile emotions playing havoc on his mind and his heart. The nightmare didn’t help either. Little sleep was common for Zanthus, he still had trouble sleeping properly in his dorm, surrounded by friends that he knew would protect him. 

It was starting to have its toll. Sleep deprivation was nothing he didn’t know, but that morning had him sluggish and barely able to react to anything, the poor teenager ignoring the sounds around him that would usually have him on edge. 

For hours he wandered, unable to stop himself from wondering what his friends were doing. Were they alright? Were they back in the Academy, being scolded by the teachers for essentially getting involved with criminals and not telling anyone? Wielding weapons was against the law, he remembered that much from his lessons with Professor Melina, but surely they would be lenient?

Deep down, he knew he should be there for them. Zanthus knew that he was just as guilty as his friends. 

The fight at Sasnak Docks were just a blur. He could clearly recall finding Eirian and Adam, nursing his friends while Icheku took on that White Fang member, but when he jumped into the fight and ended up in that man’s grip, it turned hazy. All he could remember was the crushing weight around his throat, the burning panic of not being able to breathe, and Eirian’s words echoing in the distance. 

_ You’re killing him! _

Even with her own injuries, she still cared more for him. 

It made it even more of a bitter pill to swallow that he abandoned her and ran. Her, Adam, Ruri. All of them. Yet that voice at the back of his mind excused it, surfacing after so long laying dormant.

_ You saw what you did back there.  _ It hissed at him, venomous words digging into his very soul.  _ You already hurt people before. What’s more to the list? Better stay away than staying and eventually hurting them too. _

He didn’t argue with it. Deep down, he knew it was right. 

Gingerly, he rubbed his throat, feeling the bruises and marks that had started to form from last night’s fight. While the thick fur trim around the collar covered most of his injuries, the pain was hard to ignore, as well as his harsh voice struggling to speak. “Thirsty…”

There was hardly anything around for him to buy things from. Having moved further from the completely derelict area of the city, the streets he walked through were still far from luxurious. Those that populated the streets looked like the types to avoid, gangs of teenagers wandering in dark clothing and patrol cars passing by way more often than Zanthus was used to seeing. 

Hands digging in his pants pockets, he rummaged around before pulling it out. In his clenched fist, he had a few coins left, having kept the change on Ruri’s insistence when she gave him money to go and fetch her the latest book collection that had come out in Tukson’s Book Trade. It was nice talking to the Faunus owner while purchasing the books.

It still filled him with shame. Borrowing was something he could live with, knowing that he could at least pay it back, but being straight up given lien made him feel like he was mooching off his rich friend. Even if Ruri didn’t see the problem with giving him whatever he needed, Zanthus did. 

Still, the change he had proved more than enough to at least get himself something to drink. Walking through the streets, he kept a sharp eye out for any convenience stores that he could shop at. 

There. On the corner of the streets he was on, Zanthus spotted a small shop still open for business, sandwiched between a closed down store and a laundrette. 

As he approached it, he noticed something sitting on the ground near the store’s door. Huddled with a thin and tatty looking blanket, he was surprised to find a person sitting there, barely paying attention to him as he passed by. They looked far worse for wear than he did. 

Face gaunt with sunken in eyes, their skin looking pale and sickly while dirt caked their skin, the stale smell of grime and urine making Zanthus wrinkle his nose slightly. It was a pitiful sight. 

He would’ve gone straight into the shop if something didn’t stop him. Hand on the handle, he thought deeply for a second, feeling the change in his pocket weighing heavily. With another glance over at the person, he stayed silent, looking down at the cup by their feet. 

Without a second thought, Zanthus moved away from the door and approached the person, tossing the little change he had into their cup with a cough. “Here. It’s all I can spare.”

“Oh, Gods bless you…” The person croaked, taking their cup to look at the change given with relief on their face. 

“It’s no trouble. Keep safe out here.” He replied, smiling warmly as he turned to leave the homeless person alone. 

While his throat didn’t appreciate the missed chance of getting a drink, he was happy with his choice. He had the chance to get somewhere to sleep and have warm food, but many didn’t. Zanthus knew the shame of begging, sitting in the cold while others had places they could return to, so there was no doubt in his mind that he did the right thing. Too bad he couldn’t give more. 

Slowly, the day started to turn to night. The sun hovered just over the horizon, the overcast day turning a darker and darker grey as the sunlight started to fade. No doubt it would get colder soon. 

Unwilling to risk another night in those houses, Zanthus got to looking for a doorway or even a bus stop to take some refuge under, unsure if tonight would bring another storm with it. 

Unlike the derelict areas that had broken streetlights or just none at all, the area Zanthus had moved into was more well lit than others, at least having the blue tinted street lights that ran along the more popular streets in the city. Standing under one, he took a moment to catch his breath, sitting down on the curb with his stomach growling loudly. 

He hadn’t eaten all day. 

Where could he even find something to eat? He didn’t note where the soup kitchens in the city were, and he didn’t feel right in taking food from those services when he had other resources at hand. 

Ears fell flat against his head when the painful twisting of his stomach worsened. It felt like someone was squeezing it tightly, the rumbling so loud that he wondered if anyone could hear it if they were around. With a few glances up and down the street, he found himself completely alone. 

That was, until a deep voice called out. “There you are.”

Surprised, Zanthus turned to the source of the voice, ears perked up as they focused entirely in one direction. He knew that voice. As soon as he spotted the person it belonged to approaching him, he was immediately on his feet, backing away when they piped up. “I’ve been looking everywhere, son.”

“Icheku? Why’re you here?” Zanthus questioned worryingly, backing away more when Icheku tried to approach him. “Don’t come any closer.”

“You really worried everyone. Come on, let’s get you back to the Academy.” Icheku tried to convince.

Zanthus remained unconvinced. Hands curled up in front of his chest, he flinched away whenever Icheku tried to come closer, keeping a respectable distance between them when he got a proper look at the older man. Under the streetlight, he could clearly see the white bandages wrapped tightly around his chest, pulled over his shoulders with the goat furred collar or the belt that held his weapon across his chest nowhere to be seen. 

Nervously, he voiced his concerns. “What’d I do last night?”

Icheku paused at that. Face grim, he didn’t answer immediately, instead standing there in front of Zanthus with eyes glancing down at the floor. 

“I won't lie to you.” He answered truthfully. “You… You went completely insane. Scratched me up pretty good and almost attacked Adam. But you can talk about that when we get you back.”

“After what I did? I could’ve killed someone, what would’ve stopped me if Adam didn’t? Who else would’ve died because of me?!” Zanthus’ breathing quickened. “I don’t want to hurt anyone again!”

A long pause weighed heavily between them. Turning his back to Icheku, Zanthus stood there in the shadows, rubbing his upper arms while staring down at his feet. The desire to start running and never look back was almost too much to ignore. 

Finally, he felt a hand gently touch his shoulder, turning him back around. Before he could protest, arms wrapped around him tightly. Icheku kept him close in a tight hug. 

From above his head, he listened as the older man muttered softly. “I don’t know all the answers, but I do know that you should go back to your team and just be honest. If they know your worries, they can help. It’s always better than handling your problems alone.”

“What if they don’t want me around either?”

“You don’t know until they say. You can’t keep running away from your problems, otherwise you’ll never fix them.” He explained, pushing Zanthus away with both hands on the teenager’s shoulders. “Do it for them and for yourself.”

Slowly, Zanthus forced himself to make eye contact with Icheku, staring up at those violet eyes with worry. While the man spoke the truth, it was difficult to accept it. Saying you’d do it was entirely different to actually doing it. There, Zanthus worried that he’d chicken out before he’d even make it back to his dorm room. 

Still, he knew deep down that he had to try. 

So, nodding softly, he sighed. “Okay, I’ll… I’ll try.”

“Good. Let’s get you back.” Icheku smiled, patting the teenage boy on the back.

With Zanthus under his arm, Icheku guided him back to the cliff that Beacon sat upon. It was long into the night by the time they found a way up to the cliff. Way past Zanthus’ curfew, he found no one out and about, looking around the school grounds quietly. It was eerie. 

A soft breeze blowing through, the moon was nowhere to be seen that night. Hidden by the thick cover of clouds, only the faint glow of the lights that ran along the stone pathways lit the way, with the buildings just dark silhouettes against the pitch black background. With the Huntsman beside him, Zanthus wandered along the path towards the distant dorms.

None of the lights were on when they reached it. For a moment, he wondered if it was late enough that everyone had gone to bed, but as they approached the building, he noticed someone standing by the entranceway. 

Those piercing green eyes fixated on him immediately. In the dark, Zanthus didn’t have difficulty seeing the person, but his worry worsened when he recognised them quickly. As he reached the door, he paused with a nervous mutter. “Professor Goodwitch?”

“I wondered when you’d return. I’m glad that Icheku was able to find you as quickly as he did.” Glynda confessed, though her stern facial expressions were completely off putting given the clear concern she had for her missing student. “I had just been talking to the rest of your team. Nothing they can’t fill you in on, but I will be expecting you and your whole team to be in Headmaster Ozpin’s office after breakfast tomorrow.”

So he wasn’t completely out of the woods. Downtrodden, he nodded in response, standing there quietly as Glynda turned to address Icheku directly. “Thank you for finding him quickly. Will you be alright returning to your hotel room? We have spare rooms in the staff dorms if you wish, on Ozpin’s suggestion of course.”

“Thanks but I’ll be fine.” Icheku rejected, patting the masks hanging from his belt. “I actually have to leave in the morning for Knossos. Lemme say goodbye to Eirian, then I’ll be outta your hair.”

“Of course.” Glynda replied, moving away from the door as she moved to leave without another word. 

Watching her walk back to the staff dorms, Zanthus didn’t move for a moment, unable to shake off what she had just told him. The idea of meeting with the Headmaster himself filled the boy with dread. Yet he didn’t wait long.

Icheku made sure Zanthus followed him when he went inside, guiding the student through the silent hallways up to the floor that his dorm room was on. As they passed the closed doors, the silence that fell on them was heavy, so quiet that one could hear a pin drop even without Zanthus’ acute hearing. No matter how much he strained, the most he could hear was quiet snoring or the creaking of wooden beds. 

Finally, they reached the door. Light from inside crept under the door, barely enough to lit up that part of the hallway, but told the pair that those inside were still awake. For a moment, Zanthus stilled outside the door with his hand holding the handle gently. 

Without a word, he inhaled deeply and pushed the door open, walking into the room.

Everyone looked at him. Ruri and Eirian sat comfortably on his bed, facing Adam who was lying on his own, his leg bandaged and propped up on a thick pillow to keep it elevated. He wasn’t the only one who was clearly injured. After her own severe injuries, Eirian’s left arm was wrapped in a thick white cast, held to her chest with a sling tied around her shoulder. 

Eyes sparkled with excitement, the relief they felt clear for Zanthus to see when Eirian called his name out. “Zanthus!”

Immediately, she hopped to her feet, rushing to her friend with Ruri following after her. Careful, he accepted her hug, wrapped an arm around her non injured side to avoid the broken arm pressed against him. The warmth emitting from her helped his chilled body, the feline Faunus burying his lower face into her shoulder while Ruri approached the side of him.

As Eirian backed away, Ruri accepted a friendly pat on her shoulder from her friend. With both of the girls beside him, he listened as Eirian fussed. “We were worried sick! Where’d you go? Are you okay? What happened?”

“At least let him answer, Eirian.” Adam scolded from the spot on his bed, unable to move with his busted leg. 

“Well, I guess I just… wandered around. Didn’t really have a place in mind to go.” Zanthus mumbled, moving to his bed while Icheku closed the door behind them. “Icheku managed to find me just before. Managed to convince me to come back and talk to you guys rather than run away again.”

“Thanks, Dad.” Eirian said gratefully, looking up at her father while he smiled. 

“It’s no problem. Remember what we said though, son.” He urged Zanthus.

Their conversation fresh in his mind, Zanthus glanced away with thumbs twiddling together. The weight beside him dipped, Eirian spotted sitting down next to him from the corner of his eye, all while Ruri took the other side. Sandwiched in, he felt safe and secure between them, letting Eirian hold onto his hand with her good one as he finally found the courage to admit the truth.

“You know when I told you guys that I don’t have a Semblance?”

“Yeah?” Adam replied. 

“Well…” He paused. “That’s not… entirely true. I do have one, at least my Semblance is unlocked, but it’s not like yours, or Eirian’s, or Ruri’s. It’s… hard to explain.”

Eirian piped up beside him. “What’d you mean?”

Zanthus sighed deeply. 

“I never really gave my Semblance a name. I haven’t even registered it when I applied for Beacon, no one knows I have one.” He explained, quickly looking around at his team. “I’m so sorry for lying to you all. I never wanted to, but you have to understand, I didn’t want anyone getting hurt because of me.”

“Is that what happened to you last night? Was that your Semblance?” Adam asked. 

Zanthus’ voice dropped as he confirmed their worries. “Yeah, it was.”

“What was that? You were fine one minute, then the next it was like you were a completely different person.” Eirian questioned.

Even Ruri was worried, despite not being there when it happened. With her face clearly showing her emotions, she signed to her friend. “ _ I saw the injuries. How were you able to do that? _ ”

“It’s sort’ve like a strength Semblance. At least, that’s how my Dad explained it. He was able to cut through anything, even steel, and was strong enough to bend metal.” He recalled those talks during their training. 

His father talked about his Semblance like it was something to be proud of, that Zanthus would be honoured to inherit his powers, but Semblances rarely worked like that. 

“Mine is the same, but more potent. I can cut through even Aura, though I think Icheku can tell you that from experience…” He nervously laughed, though it died down immediately with his ears falling flat against his head. “When I unlocked it, the situation wasn’t exactly the best. I couldn’t remember it much before, but what happened last night, it sorta… pulled those memories back.”

“Is this when you were in the fighting rings? You said you couldn’t remember how you left, maybe it’s connected to your amnesia around unlocking your Semblance?” Adam pointed out. 

“You’re pretty much right. I was in the middle of a match against this other man. He was twice my age, and had the experience to match. If my Semblance didn’t show up when it did, he… he would’ve killed me.” The memories flashed in front of Zanthus’ eyes. The sticky feeling of blood on his hands returned, even though he knew his hands were clean. 

With everyone staring at him, he swallowed harshly and confessed in a quiet voice. “But I… killed him.”

The air fell still. 

No one knew what to say. All his friends staring at him, he could see the shock on their faces, knowing exactly what they were thinking without them saying it. It was the same horror that he felt himself. 

Finally, it was Adam that spoke first. “You did what you had to.”

“What?” Zanthus piped up in shock, unable to stop to shock from turning to anger. “No, I didn’t. I killed someone, I took a life!”

“If you didn’t, you would’ve been the casualty instead.”

“That doesn’t make it right! All my life, I’ve seen what violence does to people, even years later!” Getting up to his feet, he continued with fear in his voice. “I know what that does, I’ve seen a world full of those kinds of people! I was one! But I don’t need to do it anymore, I can try to atone by protecting people.”

“Even if you don’t want to, being a Huntsman isn’t the job for a pacifist. Eventually, you’re gonna have to make a choice, kill or be killed.” Adam pointed out, staying surprisingly calm despite Zanthus’ growing agitation. 

From the other side of the room, Icheku joined the conversation briefly. “He’s right, son. Your intentions are good, but they’re not realistic in this career path.”

“But where’s the line? What stops you from saying that every death is justified, going about using violence more and more until you just can’t stop?” 

“That’s up to you to decide.” Icheku replied. “I’ve been a Huntsman for twenty two years. All that time, I’ve had to decide the right choice to make, and out there in the field, you could only have a second to make that choice. It’s a harsh truth, but one you gotta accept.”

Even Eirian added her opinion to the conversation. “He’s not wrong, Zanthus.”

Zanthus found himself alone. No one shared his views, all of them having accepted the reality of their chosen path, but the thought of doing it again made him sick. He didn’t know if he could. 

One person said nothing, though. 

“What’d you think, Ruri?” Zanthus asked.

The girl in question sat there stunned. Everyone turned their attention to her, having grown used to Ruri not really adding anything vocally to the conversation. 

Hands slowly rising from her lap, she appeared thoughtful, trying to think through what she wanted to say. Eyes casted to the side for a moment, she exhaled softly and confessed her feelings. “ _ I understand what they’re trying to say, but… I share your feelings about killing. _ ”

“I mean it makes sense,” Eirian piped up. “We’re just students. Realistically, we wouldn’t have any experience in killing people, so thinking about it is kinda… morbid, right?”

Zanthus and Ruri nodded in agreement. However, Adam didn’t exactly share their opinion, sitting there on his bed with a grim frown. Slowly, he turned his head away more when Eirian piped up. “Right, Adam?”

He didn’t respond. The worry grew in his friends, all of them sharing looks between each other.

Suddenly, Icheku’s voice piped up from where he stood. “This is something you four should talk about privately. I’ll get outta your hair.”

“You’re leaving now?” Eirian got back to her feet, rushing to her father’s side. “But you’ve only been here a few days.”

“I know, Sweet Pea, but I came to Vale on a mission. I’ve already waited past the time I shoulda left to stay here with you.” 

She seemed so dejected at that. Shoulders slumped and her head hanging low, she stared down at the floor until Icheku patted her on top of her head. “Now, don’t fret. I’ll come visit you guys again for the winter holidays.”

“You promise?”

“I promise.” He turned to the others. “It was great to finally meet my Eirian’s friends. I hope you guys treat her right.”

“ _ We will _ .” Ruri signed to him. 

“Don’t worry. She’s a member of our team, we’ll take care of her.” Zanthus agreed, smiling softly at his friend. 

The affirmation made Eirian brighten up. Even Icheku was more cheerful than before, relieved that his daughter had people that she could rely on. It took off the sting that he would have to leave her for the months until winter break came. 

“Thank you.” He replied gratefully, turning back to Eirian with a soft voice. “I’ll be careful.”

“...Okay.” She accepted it, albeit with a saddened tone.

There was little else to say. With a brief hug between the father and his child, Icheku raised a hand in farewell to the rest of the team, turning to leave the room without another word. As the door closed, they waited a moment as Eirian stood there. She said nothing as she stared at the closed door. 

Gently, Zanthus approached her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Hey. He won’t be gone forever.”

“I know. It’s just… I get worried sometimes.”

“It’s natural. You care a lot for him, having a parent who’s a Huntsman is scary for anyone.”

She nodded at that. Quickly, she brushed away the worry that plagued her, turning to Adam as the others followed suit. Sitting there on the bed, he seemed unnerved with so many eyes on him, unable to shake the feeling when Zanthus piped up again. “You didn’t answer Eirian’s question.”

“ _ You also didn’t tell them what you told me. _ ” Ruri pointed out.

“Wait… What’d he tell you?” Eirian piped up from beside the feline Faunus.

Adam glanced over at the Ruri, the two looking at each other with no words being shared, but by the looks they gave, they could’ve had an entire conversation that the others had no idea of. 

With a faint nod, Adam sighed while Ruri confessed to their teammates. “ _ He wanted to wait until the whole team was together. The doctors found something on him that they wouldn’t say, but Adam should be the one to tell us. _ ”

“Is it serious? Are you alright, Adam?” Zanthus asked quickly, greatly concerned with what the doctors could’ve possibly found. 

“Yeah, it’s just… not something I openly talk about with anyone.” He couldn’t even look the others in the eyes at this point.

From beside him, Eirian tried to lighten the mood. “Well, it can’t be anything worse than what’s already happened, right?”

Adam didn’t laugh at that. His one visible eye narrowing, he glared at her silently, only relenting with a tired sigh. 

“What happened last night at the docks, the people that attacked us. I knew them.” He finally looked Zanthus in the eyes. “I was part of the White Fang.”

That stunned the other teenage boy. Standing there with widened eyes, he thought deeply on what Adam just confessed to, unable to stop the feeling of betrayal from striking as he questioned his friend. “So, all that you told us, was that a lie?”

“No, not all of it. I did come from Mantle and I did live on the road after leaving Menagerie. It’s just that I was with the White Fang while I was on said road.”

“You called those people by their names. Iya and… Banesaw? They seemed really angry with you.” Eirian pointed out. 

“They were in the same faction I was. Obviously they were there a lot longer, but I knew them better than the average member would.” He explained. “I wish you guys didn’t have to find out that way, but I had no idea they would risk coming to the capital to hunt me down.”

“Hunt you down? Are they here to kill you?” Zanthus gasped in shock.

“Well, I thought so at first. You don’t leave the White Fang. No one does. I knew that eventually the faction’s leader would send people after me, but Kaanchana is not stupid. She knows it’s too risky to get too close to the city.” 

Zanthus crossed his arms over his chest with a deep frown clear on his face. “Well, she obviously is if they attacked you last night.”

“No… Iya and Banesaw weren't working on her orders last night. She didn’t want them to come after me for some reason, but Iya… she came here to tell me…” Adam’s voice started to crack. “They killed Blake.”

All the betrayal and anger Zanthus felt vanished. 

Instead, his blood ran cold, the feeling of his stomach falling to the deepest pits making him want to vomit, unable to stop that horror from showing clearly in his face. Mouth agape, he couldn’t even find the words to say beyond. “I’m so sorry, Adam.”

“It’s not something I wanna talk about.” He confessed. “There’s something else. But, you guys have to promise not to tell anyone else.”

“We wouldn’t dream of it. What is it?” Eirian promised. 

For a moment, Adam stayed still. He looked hesitant. Unsure of what to do, he glanced around the waiting faces of his teammates, all of them staying patient while he gathered the courage to confess what had been plaguing him all this time. 

Slowly, his hand reached up to the bandage. He was never seen without it, always wearing it to lessons, to bed, everywhere. Zanthus would be lying if he said he wasn’t curious to what was underneath it.

When Adam removed it, he wished he was still kept in the dark.

While one eye was a bright and healthy blue, like the skies on a clear summer day, the other one was the exact opposite. Narrower and wrinkled with scarred tissue, his sclera was a deep red, the iris a dull grey rather than crystal blue. It would’ve been a surprise if Adam wasn’t blind in that eye.

The worst was what caused the scarring. Right across the eye, red and angry looking flesh was marked with the letters  _ SDC _ , the culprit to the scar as clear as day. 

No one could say anything. All that was muttered between the three was Eirian’s horrified gasps. “Gods. What did they do to you?”

“I was in the SDC before I left Mantle. Pretty much born into it actually, my mother was a worker there before I was even a thought.” He explained, looking down at the bandage in his grip. “After she… passed, I was so angry and hurt. I wanted to make the people who worked her into the grave pay. Sadly a ten year old boy couldn’t really stand up to a megacorporation.”

Zanthus watched as Adam gripped the bandage tightly. “I guess I was too mouthy one day. Caught one of the officers on a bad day. Honestly, I have no clue why they did what they did, but they grabbed me and took one of these metal irons that they used to mark crates. I think you guys can connect the dots on what they used it for.”

Honestly, Zanthus could picture it clearly. What Adam told him about his past, what little he did anyway, it just made him even more horrified. The fact that his friend and leader went through something like that made his blood run cold. 

Before he could say anything, Eirian immediately moved to the side of Adam’s bed, pulling the boy into a tight hug that left him, and the rest of the team, stunned into silence. 

“I’m so sorry you had to go through that.” She muttered to him. 

He glanced to the side of her head, hands held up as if he didn’t know where to put them. For a moment, he seemed uncomfortable, before slowly resting them on her back, patting her gently until she let him go again.

There, she sat down on his bed, unmoving from the spot as Zanthus pointed out. “What they did… Is that why you joined the White Fang? To get back at the SDC?”

“When I first joined, yeah. But… looking back at it now, I think the main reason I joined the White Fang, and why I stayed, is because deep down… I didn’t want to be alone again. The White Fang was my family. They gave me so much, freed me from a life in the mines or on the streets.” 

With a moment of silence, Adam glanced out the window. “I was taken in by Blake’s parents. The Belladonna family.”

“The chieftain’s family in Menagerie?” Eirian piped up.

“Yeah, the very same ones.”

She seemed surprised at that. “I never knew they had a son.”

“Yeah, not many people do. I never really lived in Menagerie, and when I did visit, I stayed in the house. Honestly, people would’ve assumed I was a servant’s son rather than their leader’s newest child.” He grew more solemn as he continued. “I haven’t seen them since they left the White Fang. They wanted me to leave, I said no. I was fifteen, and if I’m honest… I saw the White Fang more as my family than the people who were my parents.”

“You don’t blame yourself for that, right? You were only young, it makes sense that you’d make mistakes.” Zanthus tried to comfort him. 

Adam didn’t seem to agree. “It’s the worst mistake I’ve ever made. If I didn’t run away from them that day, or at least leave Blake with them… None of this would’ve happened. She would still be alive.”

“You can’t blame yourself for that.” Zanthus argued.

“Can’t I?”

“No, you can’t.” The other boy approached the bed. “You did what you did, and bad things happened. But you didn’t make the choice that killed Blake. That alone is on Iya, Banesaw and the White Fang. They’re to blame for what happened.”

Even with the agreement from Ruri and Eirian, Adam didn’t seem all that much convinced by his friend’s words. 

Still, he let the conversation go as he moved on. “This can’t be told to anyone. Not to Ozpin, or the professors, or  _ anyone _ . Alright?”

“We won’t breathe a word.” Eirian promised, mimicking a locking motion over her lips while Zanthus stared at her silently. 

With a raised eyebrow, he nodded in response. “You can trust us. Though, I don’t think Ruri could tell anyone even if she wanted to.”

She glared at him for that. 

Still, it managed to get a small chuckle out of Adam, the horned teenager even smiling faintly. Yet that happiness didn’t last long when he confessed. “Professor Goodwitch came to our dorm just before you arrived.”

“I know. I ran into her just outside the dorms.” 

“ _ Was she mad? _ ” Ruri signed.

Hands on his hips, he exhaled with pursed lips. “Not really. But she did tell me that we have a meeting with Headmaster Ozpin tomorrow morning. What happened after the fight last night?”

“I don’t know. I was in surgery.” Eirian pointed out, lifting her arm. “Put a whole lotta pins in my arm. But they did discharge me this afternoon so I didn’t have to spend days in the hospital! Adam too!”

“Thankfully, the bar missed my femur and femoral artery. They let me go back to the dorms along with Eirian, but I gotta walk with crutches until its healed properly.” He sounded annoyed with the extra hassle. 

“ _ That’s not the only problem. The Chief Commissioner of Vale Police Department came to Adam’s room last night. _ ” Ruri explained. “ _ He wasn’t happy. _ ”

“The police? We’re in that much trouble?”

“Thanks to Professor Melina, no. But it means that whatever punishment we would get from the law, we’re now getting from Professor Goodwitch.” Adam revealed. “Honestly? I don’t know which one I’d go with.”

“ _ Being arrested would end up on our records. At least with Professor Goodwitch, nothing permanent will be put on our names.” _

“Well, that’s something we can worry about tomorrow. For now, you guys should try and get some rest, you’ll need it to heal properly from your injuries.” Zanthus ordered, moving to help Eirian off her bed.

Thankfully, they were all in their pyjamas, save for Zanthus. As he approached the wardrobe to change, he noticed the sleeping Nabk perched on top, the door having been left open so he had something to grip. 

With a shrug, he got to getting changed. Even though he tried to decline Ruri’s offer for new clothes, he was actually grateful for them now. The feeling of soft silk was most welcome when he spent an entire night sleeping rough. Burying his nose in the fabric, he inhaled the sweet smell of fruit, knowing that Eirian had washed the laundry last. 

He just hoped his red cape hadn’t been mixed with any of his teammates' clothing. All of the wore a surprisingly large amount of white.

As soon as he was changed, he gave one last glance to Nabk, leaving the bird to its slumber before retiring to his bed. Everyone else had the same idea. All of them tucked away, the upcoming meeting was on all of their minds, but without a way to solve it at the moment, they followed Zanthus’ suggestion and tried to get as much sleep as they could. 

It was difficult to say the least. The nightmare from the night before still plagued Zanthus, the poor boy unable to find much rest even when he was in his comfortable bed, no longer trying to sleep on a hard windowsill inside a mold ridden house. 

Hours passed by as the clock ticked quietly. He didn’t try to see if the others had fallen asleep, able to hear Eirian’s snoring from her bed at the other side of the room. 

Ears flattening in response to the noise, he could only groan quietly, knowing that the night ahead would be a long one. After so much tossing and turning, he laid there silently, listening to the night outside his window. Occasionally, he could make out the hooting of an owl, or the chirping of crickets that came out in the warm summer months. 

Eventually, he managed to grab what little sleep he could. 

It didn’t last forever. Sure enough, he was awoken by Eirian loudly rushing around the room, trying to get dressed with only one good arm. 

Sleep deprived, he sat there, saying nothing while Ruri took it upon herself to help her friend. With Eirian’s broken arm, it was difficult for her to put her shirt or blazer on, relying on Ruri to guide the cast through the sleeves and button it up for her, even tying the little red bow that all female students wore. 

Even Adam let Ruri help. Certainly close to the fish Faunus, he let her help him with his socks, saying a few words of thanks before doing the rest of the dressing himself. He certainly valued his independence. 

Zanthus tried to say nothing when he noticed his leader slip his bandage back on. As he adjusted it to hide as much scarred tissue as he could, Zanthus couldn’t help but think back to the revelation that night. He promised he would never tell a soul, and it was a promise he intended to keep, but he couldn’t stop the guilt from sitting in his gut over it.

If he had known sooner, about the scar, about the White Fang, he could’ve helped Adam before he and Eirian got hurt. 

Still, they were thoughts left unspoken. Soon enough, the group was dressed and ready for the school day, Ruri sticking close to Eirian while Zanthus kept a close eye on Adam. The latter needed crutches to walk, and he seemed pretty good with using them. That still didn’t mean Zanthus wasn’t fretting over the possibility of his friend tumbling over and hurting himself more. 

So, he stuck to Adam’s side like glue. All the way to the Dining Hall, while they had breakfast, and even when they started walking up to the tower where Ozpin’s office resided, Zanthus didn’t leave his leader’s side. 

The closer they got to the tower, the less confident any of them felt. Even Eirian, who was at least trying to maintain a positive attitude, was finding herself running low on spirit when they approached the entrance into the tower. By the time they were in the elevator that led straight up to the top, none of them were smiling anymore. 

It was a dead silence between the team for the whole ride up. Zanthus kept to the back, occasionally sharing a glance with Ruri, neither one of them saying a word before the elevator dinged and the doors finally opened. 

For the months they had already been at Beacon, none of the team had ever visited Ozpin’s office. They didn’t need to, and the headmaster was an enigma to them. They’d catch him outside of his office most of the time, but beside a few greetings and words of advice, Ozpin and the team went their different ways. 

It was certainly a sight to admire. Taking up the entire space at the top of the tower, the glass ceiling showed giant gears that wound around slowly, the faint hum of grinding metal echoing through the spacious office. Pillars holding up the ceiling, the whole space was decorated with dark wood and walls that were decorated with more gear symbols. 

Right in front of the wide window, Ozpin sat behind his glass desk, comfortable in his imposing chair while Glynda stood off to his side. Whatever conversation they were having stopped as soon as the elevator doors opened. 

When the nervous students stepped inside, Ozpin was quick to welcome them. “We’ve been waiting for you four. Please, take your seats.”

They obeyed, reluctantly taking the four seats that were set opposite from where Ozpin sat. 

“Now,” he started, leaning forward in his chair. “I assume you four have been told why you are here, yes?”

“Yes, Headmaster Ozpin.” The students replied in unison. 

“Good, then I won’t waste time explaining.” 

Well, at least he didn’t sound upset. From behind his small spectacles, Ozpin watched each and every student in front of him, instilling an uncomfortable feeling in all of them as they sat there. It wasn’t long before Eirian started fidgeting in her seat.

“It’s lucky that you four are not being prosecuted by Vale’s police department. I don’t have to explain to you students what would happen if you did, especially in regards to your futures as Huntsmen.” He explained, gesturing faintly with his hand while the other rested on his desk. “But just because you avoided Chief Commissioner Rex’s punishment doesn’t mean you will be avoiding mine. I try to be understanding to all my students, but you four must realise that we have rules. Rules that we follow so that we can work in peace with the kingdom’s other sectors.”

Suddenly, Glynda piped up from his side. “This is something you all should remember, since your actions have done little to help Beacon’s tense relationship with the VPD.”

Eirian raised her hand, catching the professors’ attention as Ozpin addressed her. “Miss Esna?”

“Ummm, I’ve just been thinking… Why does the VPD seem to hate Beacon so much? Aren’t we both working for the same thing?”

“In theory, yes.” Ozpin confessed. “But theory rarely works in reality. You four weren't the first to break Vale’s laws for whatever reasons you had, and I fear you won’t be the last. Previous students had gotten too close to becoming vigilanties, some wanted to get into Beacon just for the prestigious name rather than the desire to serve the people, and some simply made foolish mistakes. Still, Commissioner Rex is a man who gives very few second chances.”

“Which I don’t entirely blame him for.” Glynda grumbled in response.

Ozpin seemed to have picked up her annoyance, giving her a side glance before continuing to address the team once more. “Thankfully, Professor Goodwitch and Melina have managed to ward off any risk of prosecution, but we have decided the punishments suitable to your crimes.”

Zanthus gulped at that. 

“Given the severity of what had happened, I have decided to remove Team AZRE from this year’s Vytal Tournament in Mistral. You four will remain in Beacon during the festival, and will be writing personal letters of apology to the VPD for the endangerment of the public.” 

Shock numbed them all. Eirian took it the hardest, her eyes widened with mouth agape, trying to find the words to say as she stammered out. “B-But we trained so hard for this tournament! Ruri’s been so excited to visit her home kingdom when we went!”

“This is unfortunately what has to happen. We can’t allow our students to run around doing as they please without consequences.” Ozpin pointed out sternly. “And that is not all. Adam and Eirian, for bringing weapons illegally into the city and putting yourselves in danger, you two will be placed on dorm arrest for two weeks.”

Adam glowered at that, his glare directed at the floor rather than the Headmaster himself. 

Ignoring the angered team, Ozpin turned his attention to the others. “Zanthus and Ruri, while I acknowledge that you two had no part in the fight or working with a known criminal, there’s still the fact that both of you knew what Adam was planning and didn’t inform any of the faculty members.”

Ruri nervously played with a strand of hair, unable to even look the Headmaster in the eyes with her face flushed in shame. 

“Because of this, we’ve decided that the disqualification from the Vytal Tournament is punishment enough for your actions. You two are free to wander wherever you wish. But I want no more incidents from you two, or I will be dishing out harsher punishments.” He turned to address the entire team. “Have I made myself clear?”

“Yessir.”

“Good. You’re free to go to your first lesson, I will alert your Professor to why you four were late.” 

“I shall make sure you get there personally.” Glynda offered, though she looked like she wouldn’t take no for an answer.

No one uttered a word as they got up from their seats. Deflated from the scolding, they trudged back to the lift, following after the female professor, although Ozpin’s voice called after them. “Miss Kashima, if I could have another moment of your time?”

Zanthus stopped his friend, pointing back to the headmaster when she looked up at him in confusion, signing what was just repeated. Surprised, she turned to look over her shoulder, fiddling with her hair still as she nodded. 

Hands clasped together on his desk, Ozpin nodded with a smile, watching the rest of the team say goodbye to their deaf teammate before disappearing into the elevator with Glynda. Ruri watched the doors closed, unable to shake the uneasy sensation that washed over her. While she trusted her teachers, the scolding she just received left her a little less enthusiastic for a private talk with Ozpin. 

However, she did what she was told. A good student didn’t question their teacher’s decisions. 

Taking the seat once more, she listened as he explained slowly. “I’ve received a letter from a family member who wanted to talk to you urgently. I’ve allowed them to come to my office today to speak with you in private.”

Ruri fished out her scroll. Given that hardly any of the teachers knew sign language, she found herself relying on it more and more outside of her team. It was honestly pretty annoying and awkward given her typing skills weren't the best. 

Finally, though, she managed to type out her response. “ **Family? Who?** ”

Ozpin didn’t respond. Rather, he looked up, Ruri confused to what he was looking at until she too turned around. The elevator must’ve pinged at that moment, catching the headmaster’s attention without her realising. 

As the door’s opened, Ruri found herself immediately standing up from her seat, holding onto the back of the chair while the person in question stepped out into the office. 

“Well,” Seigyoku started, hands on her hips. “It’s been a while, Ruri.”


	19. Safety Net

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their punishment is given, but it's not the end of matters for Ruri. Her sister having come from Mistral, bringing news of good and bad, Ruri now has to deal with the very possible future where her role model will no longer be there for her.

Seigyoku. It had been over a year since Ruri last saw her sister, long before she herself came to Beacon. Now, she was standing right there, that same smile on her face like no time had been lost between them. 

“What? You’re not even gonna give your sister a hug?” she joked, opening her arms up. “It’s been so long since I saw you. I was beginning to-”

Her words were cut out when Ruri rushed into her arms. Wrapped tightly around the older woman’s waist, she buried her face in Seigyoku’s chest. It felt like a huge weight was lifted just from her sister’s presence. 

Any joking tone disappeared with that. A hand patting the top of Ruri’s head affectionately, Seigyoku muttered to her. “I missed you too.”

The comforting feeling of the touch eased Ruri out of her anxiety, the punishment she was just given drifting to the furthest parts of her mind. It didn’t matter anymore. Seigyoku was there, ready to make her feel better. 

Slowly, she let the older sibling go, stepping back while Seigyoku turned her attention back to Ozpin. “Thanks for keeping a hold on her. Mind if I take her somewhere private to talk? Family business and all that.”

“Of course.” Ozpin allowed. “I’ll let Professor Stein know she’ll be late for Weapon Modification and Maintenance.”

“I always hated those lessons.” 

Ruri nodded in agreement. Working with tools and getting her hands battered up, oil and grim staining her expensive clothes, it wasn’t as much fun as the other lessons Beacon provided. 

Her brief thoughts were interrupted with her sister patting her on the head again. “Perfect. Cheers, Oz.”

Oz?

_ When was his name Oz?  _

_ When did Seigyoku start calling the headmaster OZ? _

The minor panic didn’t get far when Seigyoku guided Ruri out of the office by the hand on top of her head. All Ruri could do was sign a brief goodbye to her headmaster, even though he wouldn’t have even known what she said. It was a nice enough gesture at least. 

As she walked into the elevator and those doors closed, she caught a brief glimpse of the office and Ozpin. He seemed tired. As soon as he thought no one was around, he rubbed his hands over his face, the look on his face sticking with Ruri even when those doors closed and the elevator started descending down the tower. 

Thoughtful, she stared at the grey metal doors. Seigyoku seemingly got the same idea. All the way down, she didn’t say a word, standing there with arms crossed and face completely blank. She always was an expert at hiding her expressions. 

As soon as the elevator came to a stop and those doors opened, she was immediately out of it. Ruri quickly followed suit. Walking behind her older sister, she stared at Seigyoku’s back, taking in how much she had seemingly changed since they last saw. 

With that same blue hair pulled back into a tight top bun, blue furred cat ears sat on top of her head, turning to every little noise that was going on around them. Her Huntress outfit was the same as always. The design one that Ruri took inspiration for her own outfit. With black hakama pants bearing wide slits to show the pale skin of her legs and the black kimono shirt open to reveal a dark grey jumpsuit underneath, she definitely showed off her body more easily than Ruri could. 

That thick cat tail swayed with each step, curling up around Seigyoku’s legs. Her presence certainly caught the attention of the other students’ around. Some simply stared, others tried to grab her attention, but when those piercing purple eyes focused on them, they scattered. 

She carried herself with such strength and purpose. Ruri found herself trying to copy it, walking with her back straight and head held high. It was strange compared to the more reclusive way she carried herself. 

Finally, they managed to find a more secluded area of the Academy grounds. 

Grass patches near the Training Fields, none of the students that weren't already in there training with a professor were around. The perfect place for a private conversation. 

Yet, rather than feeling excited to finally talk to her sister after so long, Ruri could feel the anxiety starting to build up. What if something was wrong? What if Seigyoku was actually furious with her?

Her sister was always good at hiding what she was truly thinking. It was expected, a trained Huntress who favoured more stealth-oriented missions.

Seigyoku was the first to sit down on the grass, removing one of her deep blue boots with a sigh of relief. “I love these boots, but my feet do not.”

Gingerly, she rubbed the sore flesh. As she busied herself with trying to ease the ache and pain, Ruri sat down next to her, tucking her legs underneath her body with hands resting on her thighs. 

“You can sit on your ass, you know?” Seigyoku joked, nudging her sister slightly with a smirk. “We ain’t at home anymore. Stretch your legs out, enjoy the sun. It ain’t gonna last much longer with fall coming soon.”

Ruri stayed as she was. 

That same smirk slowly faded to a saddened smile. Ears folded over slightly, similar to how Zanthus’ did whenever he was upset or nervous, and immediately Ruri was on edge.

“I didn’t come here just to spend time with you.” She confessed. “Not that I don’t want to. This past year, going on mission after mission, I never stopped thinking about you. How you were getting along at Sanctum, and now at Beacon. I’m… I’m proud of you, you know that right?”

Hands fished into Ruri’s pockets. After a brief rummaging around, she pulled out her scroll, ready to type out her response when Seigyoku suddenly snatched it. 

“You don’t need this with me. I’ve actually learned a lot while I’ve been gone.” Holding the scroll between her fingers, that same smile returned. “Thought I’d surprise you next time we met. Though, please be slow.”

That stunned her. Seigyoku never really knew sign language, only a few signals they made up when they were younger. Now she was here, able to actually have a conversation without that stupid scroll, it made Ruri’s face light up, eyes wide as she thought about what to say. 

“ _ I’m having a great time here at Beacon. My team are all really nice, well, save for Adam, but he’s actually nice deep down. _ ” She paused for a moment. “ _ Why’d you never call? _ ”

Seigyoku sat there. A deep frown on her face, she played with the tip of her tail, thumb running through the dense fur. “I never really had a chance. Been all around Mistral, even outside the kingdom, doing work for Jin.”

She sighed, and right there she let the mask slip. Much to Ruri’s surprise, her sister looked tired, all the confidence and strength fading away while she propped her elbow up on her knee, leaning her chin into the palm of her hand to rest. 

“Though, I can't really complain. They always call on the best to sort their shit out.” She tried to laugh at that, though it fell on deaf ears as Ruri watched her face fall into a grimace. 

Something felt wrong. With words swirling in the younger sister’s head, she slowly came out with what was on her mind. “ _ What’d you come to Beacon for? Besides seeing me? _ ”

“Honestly, it was perfect timing. Well, not for you getting into trouble, but I was able to have some time off to come here and talk to you.” Seigyoku explained. “Which reminds me…”

She sat up for the conversation to come. Hands resting in her lap, she didn’t beat around the bush. “I know what happened at Sasnak Docks two nights ago.”

Ruri’s heart dropped at that, her face clearly showing the guilt and shame that flushed into her cheeks, unable to meet Seigyoku’s gaze while she continued. 

“You could’ve gotten into serious trouble, Ruri. Not only for helping someone who went to an underground information racketeering club, but for keeping it a secret. What’d Ozpin hit you guys with?”

“ _ Dorm arrest for Eirian and Adam, and our team can’t go to the Vytal Tournament in Mistral this year. _ ”

“You were looking forward to it?”

Ruri nodded. “ _ I feel really bad. Eirian had been looking forward to it for months, she hadn’t seen the capital in years. _ ”

“Unfortunately, you guys are in Beacon now. You’re all adults, and that means you have responsibilities that might not line up to your desires.” Seigyoku lectured, shrugging her shoulders. “I was the exact same. As soon as I left home, I went absolutely wild in Haven. Got into a lotta trouble, and Jin ended up having to put me on temporary expulsion until I sorted my act out. You know who bailed me out in the end?”

Ruri stared at her, waiting patiently for the answer. “My team. Frost got a hold of me and made me see sense, mostly by us brawling in a sleazy bar in the lower levels of the capital. But the gesture was there.”

The chuckle that came from her did not amuse Ruri. Narrowed eyes staring at the older woman, she could only add in a less amused tone. “I guess it’s not as funny saying it out loud…”

Pretty much.

“Still, at the end of the day, I had to make the effort myself to change and get what I wanted out of my life.” Seigyoku pressed, adopting a more serious tone once more. “Your team can get you a long way, but you gotta make that last jump yourself. Don’t follow them just because they’re friends, because soon enough, you’ll find that you’re doing stuff you might not wanna do.”

“ _ My team are my closest friends. We only got into trouble because we were helping Adam with something important. _ ”

“What could possibly be so important that you’d risk your place that you’ve worked to get for years?”

“ _...His family. _ ”

Seigyoku fell silent at that. 

Narrow eyes glancing away for a moment, she didn’t say a word, rather thinking deeply on what Ruri just told her. 

With that, she confessed softly. “I guess family always was very important to you, huh?”

Ruri didn’t know what to say to that. Deep down, family was important, but the question that came next left her stumped.

“You haven’t called our parents since you came here. How come?”

She didn’t reply. Eyes casted down to her hands resting in her lap, she didn’t seem to have an answer. 

Thankfully, Seigyoku didn’t seem to be angry at all. Rather, when she lifted Ruri by the chin to look at her again, she seemed empathetic, narrow eyes softened. “I know that it’s complicated. Our parents are… overbearing, stubborn, and our mother especially can’t seem to let you leave the nest without wrenching you back in.”

That was an understatement. 

“But, I found that when I managed to get into Haven and make a home for myself there, it was easier to be straightforward with them.” She released Ruri’s chin and leaned into the palm of that hand again. “And after that White Fang attack reached international news, I’m surprised they haven’t blown up your scroll yet.”

Ruri glanced at the scroll in Seigyoku’s other hand silently. Nervous, she might as well have said it out loud with how obvious it was to Seigyoku, the older sibling raising an eyebrow. “You haven’t given them your scroll number yet, have you?”

Slowly, she shook her head. 

“Ruri.” Even though the tone was lost to her, the way Seigyoku’s eyebrows furrowed and her frown deepened had Ruri nervously tugging at one of the hair strands framing her face. 

Even though Seigyoku was annoyed, she didn’t let it show too much. “Alright. You’re gonna have to call them eventually, let them know what’s happened. Regardless of what we feel for them, leaving them sitting at home sick with worry isn’t right.”

“ _ Okay, okay. _ ” Ruri signed in frustration. “ _ I’m allowed around Beacon, anyway. I can head to the CCT after classes today. _ ”

“Shit, I’m keeping you from your classes.” Seigyoku groaned. “I don’t know if I wanna tell you now and ruin your day, but… it’s kinda important, and I want you to know before I tell our parents.”

That perked Ruri’s interest. Eyebrows raised, she sat there silently while Seigyoku built up the courage to come out and say what had been bothering her. 

“It was the thing I wanted to talk to you when I got here. Before the whole White Fang attack came up… I have actually got a promotion, in a way.”

“ _ You don’t seem happy about it. _ ”

If there was a way for someone to look even more uncomfortable than possible, Seigyoku did. 

“I’m actually really excited, but… it’s complicated.” She paused for a moment. “Jin had actually been contacted by the personal advisor of Empress Chen Xia. They wanted to promote me to the Royal Private Guard in the Jade Palace.”

Ruri couldn’t hide her excitement at the news. “ _ That’s great news!” _

“Yeah, it is. But there’s a catch, unfortunately.” 

All that excitement turned cold when Seigyoku said that. Sitting there, that anxiety in Ruri’s gut worsened, threatening to tear her apart from the inside. 

Ears fully folded over, Seigyoku took a moment to gather herself and admitted. “I accept this honor, and I will have to move into the Jade Palace myself. I eat, sleep, and train there. My entire life will be given to protecting the Empress.”

“ _ What’s wrong with that? Mother and Father will understand you having to fully leave home , and it’ll be a great honor for the family.” _

“Ruri. I won’t be able to leave. Unless I receive specific permission from the Empress herself, I have to stay in the Jade Palace for the rest of my working life.”

Everything felt like it stopped. She sat there silently, staring at Seigyoku with widened eyes, unable to find the words to sign as her emotions swirled around inside of her. Seigyoku couldn’t leave her. She needed her.

Finally, she could only sign out. “ _ You’ll have to leave me? _ ”

“Not willingly. If I could accept the job and be able to travel outside the Palace, I would, but it has been this way since the kingdom was first founded.” Seigyoku explained. “It’s why I was looking forward to your and your team attending the Vytal Tournament this year. I wanted to spend time with you at home before accepting the position.”

The truth hurt deeply. Knowing that it would’ve been the last time she’d see her home kingdom with Seigyoku, Ruri was torn up with guilt and sorrow, unable to stop it from showing through.

A hand gently tapped her shoulder, grabbing her attention as she looked up at her sister again.

That warm smile, just like all those times before when Ruri was scared, it didn’t fill her with the comfort she wished it once did. “Hey, I’m not going anywhere if you don’t want me to. I made a promise to stick by you until you no longer need me, and I intend to keep it.”

“ _ No. _ ” Ruri signed, shaking her head. “ _ This is one of the highest positions a Huntsman can get in Mistral. I don’t want you to give that up just for me. _ ”

“What about if you need me again?”

“ _ Seigyoku. Accept the job. _ ” 

The older sister fell silent there. Leaning back with both hands propping her up in the grass, she looked up at the skies, Ruri following her gaze as she noticed the grey clouds drifting away. Peeking from behind the dense cover, the sun beamed brightly, casting a warm glow down on the grounds below. 

“Looks like it’s gonna rain soon.” Seigyoku muttered, patting Ruri on the shoulder as she got up to her feet. “You always did like the rain though, huh?”

“ _ Try swimming in chlorinated water with skin as sensitive as mine. Rain water is the purest form. _ ”

“I thought you were freshwater catfish. Isn’t Father, too?” She pointed out.

Ruri glared at her. With that same smug grin on her face, Seigyoku patted the top of her head. “Shoulda lucked out in the gene pool. Coulda gotten the cat genes from Mother like I did.”

She laughed at that, the hand on top of Ruri’s head moving to rest across her shoulders, guiding the teenager along the path towards the main buildings where the classrooms were. 

“Come on, let’s get you to your lessons.”

Fortunately, Seigyoku managed to get Ruri to her lesson with Professor Stein. Muttering apologies to the professor, she let Ruri go, disappearing back out of the room to leave her sister to at least try and catch up with the rest of the students present. 

She was thankful that at least Eirian was there to catch her up to speed. Given that Professor Stein was running ragged trying to stop some of the students from blowing up the workshop with whatever concoction they were trying to stir up with their weapons, he was less than helpful to the late student.

“You know, your swords have little grooves in them.” Eirian pointed out, holding up one of Ruri’s swords with wonder. “Ever thought about introducing a mechanism that lets you funnel Dust through them? Could add a lot more into your arsenal, and gravity Dust in particular could help you when you do all that flippy stuff in the air.”

Ruri shrugged at that. “ _ Dust is expensive. _ ”

“Yeah, but you’re rich. If anyone can afford it, I’m sure you can.”

“ _ I’ve been trying to survive on my own two feet. Mother sends me my allowance for the month, but Father tends to send more when she’s not looking. _ ” Ruri glanced over at her friend. “ _ He doesn’t like the idea of me living a lifestyle that’s cheaper than the one he gave me. It’s not that I don’t appreciate it, but the salary as a Huntress is far less than I’m used to back home. _ ”

“So, what? You’re trying to learn budgeting?”

“ _ More or less. _ ”

“Well, I don’t wanna brag, but I am a natural in the world of budgeting.” The dark skinned girl bragged. “Dad always let me do the shopping list when I was younger. Said that if I can keep it under fifteen hundred lien, I get an extra bag of papaya.”

“ _ Fifteen hundred lien? That’s very little for grocery shopping. _ ”

“You’ll be surprised how much you can get in the market place around Vikela.”

She laughed at that. Ruri kept quiet, staring over at Zanthus as he helped Adam with the firing mechanism in his rifle sheath. While the blonde was helpful and patient, his partner was anything but, staring down the chamber while muttering something. Given that his face was half hidden away from her view, whatever he was saying was lost on her. 

A gentle poke pulled her attention back to Eirian. Crimson eyes staring up at her with worry, she came out and said what was on her mind. “You alright?”

“ _ Yes. _ ”

“You sure? ‘Cause you’ve been pretty out of it.” She leaned closer to the deaf girl. “Is it about your sister? Ever since your talk with her, you’ve been pretty distracted.”

Staring down at her sword, Ruri watched her reflection in the spotless steel, the dull glaze in her eyes hard to ignore. 

A deep exhale passed her lips, the blue haired girl admitting. “ _ I have to call my parents after lessons today. Seigyoku has some news for them. _ ”

“I can come with you. In case you need emotional backup, that is.” Eirian offered.

“ _ No. _ ” Ruri quickly dismissed. “ _ You have to go back to the dorms once lessons end. Besides, it’s family business. I don’t know how my parents would react to someone outside the family being there. _ ”

“Oh, no problem. Just let me know how it went when you get back!” Well, at least Eirian remained chipper despite the rejection.

Honestly, it was an infectious thing. The bright smile she had on her face made Ruri feel at ease, even with the countless thoughts running through her head. 

“Come on,” Eirian started, dragging her friend’s attention back to their weapons. “We better start something before Professor Stein catches us and makes us clean every one of his tools.”

That wasn’t something that sounded pleasant. Just then, a loud explosion happened behind them, the vibrations running through Ruri’s skin as she practically jumped out her skin. Anxiety ran through her veins, the spark of fire inside her burning out of control, that brief moment proving disastrous when she accidently released a compressed shockwave from her hand.

The force alone sent the table her team and a few other students flying across the room. Tools and weapons that were laying on top were sent scattering, the other students exclaiming loudly while Zanthus shouted. “Holy shit!”

“Our bad!” Eirian piped up immediately, taking the other students’ ire in Ruri’s place. “Semblance malfunction! Happens to the best of us!”

“Miss Esna, Miss Kashima!” Professor Stein’s gruff voice called out.

Grimacing, Eirian turned around with a quiet mumble. “Oh no…”

The thundering stomps that Ruri could feel in the ground meant only one thing. Turning around to join Eirian, she watched as a burly man approached them quickly. Heavily built with a thick ginger beard to match his long hair, he seemed more comfortable in one of those fairytales Eirian always talked about as opposed to working in a Huntsmen Academy. 

The pale grey shirt he wore barely contained his muscles, his orange tie hanging limply down with the knot way too big. The onyx coloured jacket he usually wore was hanging on the back of his chair by his desk. 

Pausing in front of them, he practically towered over the girls, his voice heavily accented with some of his words lost on them. “Why is the table in wall?”

“Uh…” Eirian started, glancing over at Ruri. “It was just an accident, Professor. The explosion scared Ruri and when she gets really startled, she can lose control of her Semblance for a moment.”

“Lemme see if there’s damage.” 

Moving past them, he approached his stuck work table and grabbed one of the legs. Effortlessly, he pulled it out, ignoring the giant hole in the wall as he placed the table back down in its original place. “Wood strong. Should survive another term with students and then I can finally get renovation grant from Ozpin.”

None of the students knew what to say about that.

“Now,” he carried on, gesturing to the weapons scattered on the floor. “Pick weapons up. Carry on until bell rings, and then I can have break with my old friend, Mr Flask.”

“At least Glynda managed to get him to stop drinking during class.” Eirian muttered to Ruri, turning to pick her sword off the ground. 

Following suit, Ruri placed her swords back on the table, turning to Eirian as she smirked. “Now, let’s see if we can get some Dust in these bad girls.”

Introducing a whole mechanism that holds Dust was harder than Eirian made it sound. Not only were the ones that Professor Stein kept around bulky and weighed as much as a bag of sugar, the added weight made the swords awkward for Ruri to hold. When she tested them out, her aim was off so much that she ended up hitting Zanthus in his behind. Ten feet from the target.

It took ten minutes to calm him down enough for Ruri to retrieve it.

By the time the bell rang, her wrists ached and Zanthus stayed as far away from her as possible, sandwiching both Eirian and Adam between them for cover. 

As they walked to their next class, Adam came out and said it bluntly. “Zanthus, she said she’s sorry for getting a sword in your ass. Let it go.”

The lessons that came after were just as long as they usually were. Longer even, Ruri finding herself distracted in all of them as she focused on the upcoming phone call.

By the time the final lesson came around, Ruri wanted to be anywhere but there. It didn’t help when she walked into Oobleck’s classroom and found traditional oriental lamps hanging around, the red paper glowing dimly with the candle light visible inside the paper walls. Painted on the lamp, she could make out several Mistrali characters, though it took some effort on her part. 

“Yes, yes, class. Come inside. I’d like to start the lesson as soon as possible.” Oobleck’s voice echoed through the huge lecture hall. 

Glancing down the hall, she was surprised to see Seigyoku sitting on his desk, helping Oobleck with another one of those lamps. Eyes caught each other, the older Kashima sister waving gently.

“That’s your sister?” Eirian asked, walking in front of Ruri with a surprised look.

When Ruri nodded in response, her partner turned back around, watching Seigyoku with a flushed face. “She’s really pretty.”

A pinch to her cheek had Eirian scrambling away. “Ow, ow! Okay! Sisters are off limits, I heard you!”

Holding on with a deathly grip, Ruri guided her friend to their usual seats. Eirian’s pain went unnoticed by the two guys on their team, Zanthus only sparing a tired glance when she silently pleaded to him, shaking his head with a sigh before taking his seat. Once Ruri managed to slide onto her spot beside the feline Faunus, she released her friend and sat down. 

Once everyone was seated and giving him their full attention, Oobleck got to starting the lesson. “You are all very lucky today. Starting our new module today, we will be learning about the history behind the kingdom of Mistral, and we fortunately have the knowledge of one of Mistral’s top Huntresses.”

Gesturing to Seigyoku, he was far more energetic than he usually was. “Please welcome Seigyoku Kashima. As she was in Beacon today, she graciously accepted an offer to come into our lesson today to talk about Mistral.”

“Hey.” She greeted, pointing a finger gun towards an unsuspecting student. 

Face flushed bright red, they hide behind their book bag, trying to ignore the playful ribbing from their team around them. 

“Settle down now, class.” Oobleck piped up, turning to the giant white board behind him. “Now, let’s get started.”

On the board, the map of Remnant usually hanging up there had been taken down, replaced with a more detailed map of Mistral instead. It was certainly a giant kingdom, with countless villages and towns spread out from the main capital of Haven. 

With his laser pointer, Oobleck began his lecture. “We begin approximately two thousand years ago. Before the unification of Mistral, the continent of Anima was split amongst hundreds of clans, each and every one holding its own territory with varying sizes and power.”

No one said anything as he carried on. 

It wasn’t anything that Ruri didn’t know. Mistral made it mandatory that teaching the history of their kingdom to every child in education, and her mother spared no expense making sure she had the best tutors. But love for one’s kingdom had its limits, and now that she was learning from an unbiased source, the lessons she was taught seemed less and less truthful.

“With the kingdom now under the leadership of the first Emperor, Chen Qui. Did I pronounce that right?” He turned to Seigyoku, the woman flashing him a thumbs up. “Excellent! Carrying on, we’ll see that even under the leadership of one man, the kingdom was anything but unified. As he lived in the Jade Palace, known by its native name of  Bìnàn suǒ, the villages at the bottom of the mountain were vulnerable to not only enemy clans, but Grimm.”

He paused for dramatic effect. It didn’t work as well as he intended.

Pushing his glasses up, he addressed the class directly. “Now, as you all were meant to read chapters thirty four to fifty, can anyone tell me how the early years of the Empire came to be?”

Eirian’s hand shot up.

“Anyone else?” Oobleck turned to the other students. 

Ruri kept quiet, watching the other students of her class do the same. Even though Eirian was trying her hardest to grab Oobleck’s attention, she had answered every question for months. It was no surprise that the professor wanted someone else to answer for a change.

Sighing deeply, Ruri raised her hand. Oobleck immediately spotted it as he called upon her. “Miss Kashima! I trust that you have read the chapters required?”

Nodding, she started to sign her answer, turning to Eirian as her friend watched intently.

“Umm… The Empire’s early years weren't easy. They constantly faced years of fractured lands, and the constant attacks on the villages at the base of Haven’s mountain led to many revolts.” Eirian translated. “About two hundred years after the palace was created, Emperor Qui’s great grandson built walls and defenses for them, bringing them under his protection and creating the city of Haven as its capital.”

“Excellent! Well explained, Miss Kashima!” Oobleck praised.

The compliment had Ruri smiling softly, her face lighting up while the professor carried on with the lecture. When she glanced over at the desk, she noticed Seigyoku sitting there with a smile, watching Oobleck dashing around the classroom. Whatever was on her mind was lost on the younger sibling, but at least she looked like she was enjoying herself. 

“Of course, Mistral only grew stronger over time.” He stopped in his tracks, taking a quick sip from his coffee mug. “Over thirteen hundred years after the capital was created, the original palace was moved further into the mountains, creating the Jade Palace that we know today. It was around the same time that historians have discovered the first recorded mention of the Royal Private Guard.”

The mention of them made Ruri sink further into her seat. 

“Now can anyone explain who the Royal Private Guard are- Miss Esna, please sit down.” 

Eirian sat back into her seat with a scowl, crossing her arms as she sulked. 

“Professor Oobleck?” Seigyoku piped up.

Oobleck quickly turned to her with a stern voice. “Doctor.”

“Right, Doctor.” She corrected herself. “Mind if I have a go?”

“Since none of my students seem interested in talking, I suppose having a Huntress from Mistral explain herself can do no harm.” He agreed, backing away to behind his desk while Seigyoku took the stage. 

“Now, you guys won’t have met any of the Royal Guard yourselves, since any that are brought into them are not permitted to leave the Jade Palace.” She lectured. “But only the best Huntsmen are given the chance for this promotion. Unfortunately, Mistral is a tad… traditional. You can’t ascend if you’re not from the kingdom, even if you attended Haven Academy.”

“Wait, what about people from Mistral who attended different Academies?” Eirian suddenly asked.

Hand raised high, she didn’t even wait before asking her question. With Seigyoku, and the class as well, focusing on her, she sat there with Ruri feeling embarrassed for her. Too many eyes. 

“That’s a bit more complicated.” Seigyoku confessed. “Typically, Mistrali parents want their kids to go to Haven Academy, or work in Mistral. While I’ve actually known one Mistrali who was brought into the Royal Private Guard after going to Atlas, it could be because Atlas and Mistral have a closer relationship than with other kingdoms.”

“As Atlas and Mistral fought together in the Great War, their relations have only been strengthened over the years.” Oobleck added in the background. 

“Um… I actually have another question.” Eirian mumbled nervously. “Does… being a Faunus affect your chances?”

Seigyoku kept quiet for a moment. It was only brief, the thoughtful look on her face remaining when she replied with her answer. “Yes. There’ve been a few Faunus that’ve succeeded, and with a Faunus Headmistress in charge of Haven, it’s become easier for my people, it’s still difficult. Despite our efforts, Mistral still remains a difficult place to thrive for Faunus.”

The room fell silent with the truth out in the open. It hung heavily on some, especially the other Faunus students that attended that class alongside Team AZRE.

“Which is why we tend to stick to the villages and towns in Southern and Eastern Mistral.” Seigyoku continued. “Ever since the Faunus settled down there before the kingdom’s creation, we’ve made our own home and culture there. Many would rather face the Grimm themselves than deal with the racism that’s integrated in Haven society.”

That was all Eirian wanted to say. Hand lowering down to rest on the desk, she nervously glanced over at Ruri, the two teenagers sharing a look before turning their attention back to the lesson.

Thankfully, Oobleck took over the lecture once more, moving on quickly. “Thank you for your participation, Miss Kashima. Now, we can move on to the expansion of the Empire’s territories outside of Anima.”

The rest of the lecture went by pretty smoothly. Apart from Eirian constantly trying to answer every question, that was. At least Oobleck managed to get another student to actually answer.

By the time the last bell of the day rang, Ruri was practically running out of the class, eager to try and get back to her dorm before Seigyoku caught her and made her have that call with their parents. However, a hand gripped the back of her blazer, stopping the teenager dead in her tracks as she limply struggled.

“You’re not squirming your way outta this.” Seigyoku scolded, spinning Ruri around so they faced each other. “Come on. It’s like ripping off a bandaid. Just gotta do it fast, no hesitating.”

Felt more like wrenching teeth out.

With a pout, Ruri followed after her sister, both of them exiting the main building and making their way towards the CCT. 

Cross Communications Tower, as it was properly known. It was difficult to miss, the tower standing taller than any of the buildings around it, with the same white and grey brickwork that was built into every other building around Beacon. Since school had just ended, there weren't many students around, most either studying in the library or using the free Training Fields to train for the upcoming Vytal Tournament.

As the two siblings approached, Ruri paused. It wasn’t long before Seigyoku stopped too, noticing the other’s missing presence and turning around with a frown. “What’s wrong?”

“ _ Do we have to use the CCT? _ ” Ruri asked. “ _ We can easily make the call from the library or my dorm. It’s not exactly private up there. _ ”

“It’s empty enough for now, and we’ll be done before anyone else comes. Besides, I’ve never seen what it’s like up there, so you’re my excuse for poking around.” Seigyoku smirked, earning an irate glare from her sister.

Still, she didn’t say no, rather following after Seigyoku as they entered the CCT itself. Even on the inside, it was pretty similar to how the rest of Beacon looked. Deep green walls with stone holding up the ceiling, the huge space empty save for a few students that had made it before them. Approaching one of the free elevators, the two went inside and stood there quietly. 

“ **Welcome.** ” A robotic voice sparked to life, surprising the two as they turned to the small box that it came from. “ **What floor are you wishing to go to?** ”

“The Communications floor, please?” Seigyoku piped up.

“ **Certainly. Please present your scroll, please.** ”

Without prompting, Ruri fished out her scroll from her blazer pocket and presented it to the box, watching the blue light flash green. As she pulled away, the voice crackled. “ **Thank you. Welcome, Ruri Kashima.** ”

With that, the elevator started ascending. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Seigyoku muttering to herself. “Way different to Haven. At least they get your name right.”

“ _ People outside of Mistral put the first name before. _ ” She shot back. 

Seigyoku had nothing to say about that, keeping silent as they continued all the way to the top of the tower. The vibrations from the elevator moving spread through Ruri’s sensitive skin. 

Finally, it came to a stop, the doors opening to let the light in and show the floor they’ve arrived on. As they stepped out, Ruri couldn’t help but focus on the windows that circled the entire room, similar to how Ozpin’s office was built. It was certainly as spacious as the office. Moreso, even. 

As Seigyoku took the lead, the sisters approached the circular desk situated in the middle of the room, surrounded by dozens of desks that held slim monitors. From behind the desk, Ruri was surprised to see a woman typing away on a keyboard. Not human or Faunus, she glowed a pale blue, her body semi transparent with the two Faunus able to see right through her. 

While she typed away, she addressed the patiently waiting siblings. “May I help you?”

Her voice sounded completely human. No crackling or robotic reverb that other robots had, it was strange coming from a hologram. 

Even Seigyoku shared Ruri’s unease as she explained. “Uhh, I was wondering if I could make a call to the Kashima Estate in Tsubaki?”

“Certainly. Sit down at number six and I’ll patch you through.” The woman smiled, gesturing to the nearby desk.

Glancing at Ruri, Seigyoku shrugged and went over to the desk they were pointed to. Sitting down in the seat, she dragged over another chair for Ruri, letting her sit down with a smirk. “No one else is using it right now.”

Smiling back, Ruri noticed the monitor flashing brightly. A bright blue screen staring back at them, the insignia of Beacon Academy appeared, only lasting a moment before the screen turned to a lighter shade of cyan. There, a wide black box appeared.

Before they could say anything, the box flashed brightly, and there someone appeared inside it. Not their parents, but rather a young looking woman, seemingly Seigyoku’s age, though with peach coloured hair tied into a low bun and simple maid outfit barely visible from where she was sitting. The white of her haneri pristine under the pale orange of her kimono, she seemed very kept together.

That said, her surprised expression was hard to miss as she gasped. “Seigyo- I mean, Kashima-sama. I didn’t realise it was you calling today.”

“Hey, Momo. We’re just trying to contact our parents to tell them some news. Can you send us through to them?”

“Certainly, I’ll do that right away.”

There, the image of Momo disappeared, and Ruri was left staring at her and Seigyoku’s reflections. Now that she was sitting there, the anxiety that had been plaguing her all day worsened. It felt like she was ready to vomit or cry, whichever one not really important at the moment. 

All she wanted was to go back to her dorm. However, she couldn’t move, feeling frozen in her seat as the screen lit back up again. 

A woman stared back at them. Clearly aged with wrinkles under her eyes and grey hairs sticking out from her light pink hair, the luscious locks styled with two long pieces hanging either side of her face, resting on her shoulders, and the rest pulled back into a high ponytail. On top of her head, a rose gold ornament pinned the hair in place, almost hidden behind a pair of pink cat ears, black splotches matching Seigyoku’s own ears. 

As opposed to Momo’s more modest attire, the woman was dressed the part of a noble lady. The darker pink kimono pinned down by heavy shoulder pads that spiked up at her shoulders, similar to Seigyoku and Ruri’s. 

Narrowed purple eyes stared at them, the voice that echoed from the screen stern and blunt. “Hello, my daughters.”

“Mother.” Seigyoku greeted, an eyebrow raised when she noticed someone’s missing. “Where’s Father?”

“Where he usually is. At the family pond feeding the koi, he was attending the Kashima shrine this morning.” Their mother explained. “I sent one of the servants to go and fetch him. Until then, you’ll have to deal with me alone.”

“You make it sound like a punishment.”

Shinju’s eyes softened. “I know we didn’t have the most polite conversation before you left last year. How has it been? Have you been looking after yourself properly?”

“Ah, you know, usual Huntress stuff. I only reached Beacon this morning.” Seigyoku revealed.

“And you, Ruri? You never contacted us when you came to Beacon.” Shinju scolded, turning her attention to her younger daughter. “Your father and I have been worried sick. We heard about the attack by the White Fang two days ago. Were you hurt? Do we need to bring you home?”

Ruri shook her head quickly. The last thing she wanted was to go back home, she loved Beacon. 

“Ruri’s fine. But we got something to tell you.”

Just then, a muffled noise caught Shinju’s attention. Ears moving towards the source before her eyes did, she looked over to where it came from, her stoic expression softening to a faint smile as she responded. “Well, your father’s here right on time. Hisui, come here. Your daughters are here.”

“Seigyoku? Ruri?” A deep voice called out.

“Right here, Father.” Seigyoku replied with a smile, waving when Hisui finally came into the frame. 

Just like Shinju, Hisui showed his age clearly. Deep green hair, almost like seaweed, pulled into a top knot similar to Seigyoku’s with grey strands sticking out, his green eyes brightened when he saw his daughters on the other side of the monitor. 

Fixing the scuffed collar of his green lined black kimono, he settled down in the spot next to his wife, getting straight to the point as he addressed Ruri. “You haven’t called us in months? How is Beacon? I hope you’ve settled down properly there.”

Nodding, Ruri signed her responses, letting Seigyoku speak on her behalf. “She’s doing well, her team is pretty close with her and she’s made some friends while here.”

“And your grades? Are you taking your school work seriously?” Shinju added on.

“She’s actually reaching tops of her classes, including Law and Security and Espionage.” Seigyoku carried on proudly. “Though, she finds History a bit difficult.”

“You should focus on History, then. I’ll make a note when you come to Haven for the Vytal Tournament. Your father and I have already made plans to travel there for the festival.” Their mother noted, typing something away on her phone. “Now, what is this news you wish to tell us?”

Seigyoku fell quiet for a moment. Glancing at Ruri, she asked quietly. “Wanna tell them yours or mine first?”

“ _ Save the good news until last. _ ” She signed back. 

Nodding, the older sister turned back to the patiently waiting parents. “Well, Ruri and her team unfortunately got into trouble lately.”

“What have you done?” Shinju quickly turned, her eyes narrowing.

However, Hisui had the complete opposite reaction, clearly worried as he chimed in. “Are you hurt?”

“No, no, she’s fine. It’s just that her leader got into some trouble in the city. You know the attack on Sasnak Docks by the White Fang?”

Her parents nodded. “Well, Ruri and the rest of her team knew about it. Because they didn’t tell the Academy, and two of her teammates illegally brought weapons into the city, Ozpin’s had to ban them from this year’s Vytal Tournament.”

“What?!” Shinju’s voice crackled harshly. “Ruri, what do you have to say for yourself?! You’ve not only insulted your Academy and your Headmaster, but you’ve insulted your family with such disgraceful behaviour!”

Ruri shrunk in on herself. Hands on her lap, she couldn’t even look at the screen anymore, the words her mother snapped at her falling on deaf ears. 

Glancing over at Seigyoku, she saw the pissed look on her face. “Hey, don’t be so hard on her. She knew that she made a mistake but it wasn’t her who broke the law or had connections to the White Fang. Why can’t you just give her a break?”

“We’re just very worried for her.” Hisui joined the conversation, placing a hand on his angered wife’s shoulder to calm her down. “Ruri. You have to understand that you’re not only representing yourself while you’re at Beacon. You have many responsibilities now, and when you make a bad decision, it can impact your school and us.”

It felt horrible being scolded like a child. 

Watching the screen, she remained still as her father continued. “Be more careful in the future. It’s very lucky that you weren't punished further for this. Do you understand?

She nodded in response. 

“Good. Is there anything else you want to tell us, Seigyoku?” He asked, turning his attention back to his eldest child. 

Even though she was still annoyed, it simmered down enough for her to explain without snapping at them. “I’ve got a promotion.”

“A promotion? Wonderful, what is it for?” Shinju immediately perked up. 

“I’ve actually been nominated to be promoted into the Royal Private Guard for the Empress.” She explained, her ears folding over slightly as she added nervously. “Jin gave me some time to think about it. I wanted to talk to you guys first, since if I accept…”

“You will have to completely leave home. We know what such a position requires.” Shinju revealed. 

Surprisingly, the anger and embarrassment she felt before had vanished, rather showing a saddened woman who could only accept what she was being told. Hardening her expression, she added on. “It is a high honour for you and for us. Not many get accepted, Seigyoku, especially those who look like us. I hope you’re thinking of accepting it.”

“I…” She glanced over at Ruri. Her own words before hung over them, pushing Seigyoku to accept the job regardless, but it was still a difficult thing to say. “Yes. I’ll have to talk to Jin when I return to Haven.”

“Excellent. Don’t worry about leaving us behind, all we want is for you and Ruri to succeed on the paths you’ve chosen.” 

“We also have your number. If you ever need to talk, you are allowed to call, even if you can’t see us physically.” Hisui comforted. 

Seigyoku nodded solemnly. “Right. Well, that’s all we wanted to tell you guys about.”

“Before you go, I would like your scroll number, Ruri. I would like more regular updates rather than being left in the dark for five months.” Shinju suddenly demanded. 

Sighing, Ruri didn’t try to argue, instead pulling out her scroll and handing it to Seigyoku for her to read out the number. As soon as her mother recorded it down, she at least tried to say goodbye in a more gentle way.

“It’s nice to hear from you two. I hope we can speak again soon.”

“Me too, Mother. We have to go.” Seigyoku replied, waving again. “See you later, Father.”

“Goodbye, girls.” Hisui waved back.

And there, the screen turned black. Ruri stared at her reflection there, unable to shake off the sight of a disappointed girl staring back. Eyes casting down, she couldn’t ignore the crippling feeling of shame and disappointment, the scolding she earned leaving her drained and just wanting to go back to her dorm.

Suddenly, she felt a hand pat the top of her head. As she looked over, she saw that even Seigyoku was drained from the conversation, only able to sigh. “Let’s get you back to the dorms.”

“ _ When are you planning on going back to Haven? _ ”

“Not for another week. It’s actually my break, but when I do, I guess I’ll have to go and give my answer to Jin.”

“ _ Is this something you really want? _ ”

“It’s like you and Mother said. It’s the highest position a Huntsman can get, and I worked hard to get where I am.” She helped Ruri from her chair, guiding the younger sibling to the elevator. “Honestly? I want this job, but I want to stay with my family. Accepting that I can’t have both is pretty hard.”

“ _ Father did say you are allowed to call from the Jade Palace. _ ” Ruri pointed out.

“Yeah, but it’s not the same. How am I gonna pick on my little sister if I’m stuck all the way up in the mountains?” Ruri had to fight off Seigyoku’s hand before it started giving her a noogie.

Backing into the elevator, she smiled when Seigyoku joined her, leaning against the wall as the doors closed.

“Besides,” she started. “I got all the time in the world to think about my future.”


	20. Last Ember of Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Failure has left Adam depressed. No longer seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, he pulls away from every attempt to pull him from shadows. As memories of a past he yearns fills his dreams, it's soon shown that he's not the only one affected by that night at the docks.

Everything felt numb.

Lying there on his bed, Adam didn’t bother moving. It felt like all the strength in his body had vanished. Weakened, all he could do was stare up at the ceiling, occasionally looking over with a blank gaze as Eirian tried to busy herself. Out of the two, the home arrest was affecting her the most.

She was fidgeting terribly. Moving off her bed, walking to the desk, she’d sit down and barely read one page from her borrowed library books before she was up again. 

“Adam.” She called out. 

He didn’t respond, his breathing shallow and slow. It was only a few seconds before she spoke again. “ _Adam_.”

“What?” He replied firmly.

“I’m just looking at the calendar now.” She revealed, leaning over the desk to get a better look at the date scribbled on the calendar. “I got good news and bad news.”

“Let’s hear the good news.” Honestly, he didn’t know how much more bad news he could take.

With that, Eirian sounded chipper. “Well, our dorm arrest will be up before our first training missions are up.”

Oh, right. He’d forgotten all about them. 

“But…” She continued, adopting a more somber tone. “It’s in three weeks. We won’t have healed fully by then.”

A deep sigh escaped Adam’s lips, no words being spoken as Eirian carried on without a thought. “I guess you’ll have healed up enough to start walking around with a cane, or something. But my arm will still be in this dumb cast. There’s no way Ozpin will let us on any of the more dangerous missions.”

“We’re first years. It’s not like we’d have a chance to get out of the city in the first place.” Adam countered.

“You’re not wrong.” She conceded, moving away from the calendar as she sat back down on Zanthus’ bed. “What’d you think we can do, anyway? We’re not allowed to go to Mistral this year, so we’re gonna have to pick missions in Vale.”

“I don’t know, and I honestly don’t care.” Adam admitted.

Even though he was no longer looking over at her, he could hear the shock in Eirian’s voice. “But you were looking forward to this like the rest of us.”

“Well, now I don’t.” He retorted, unable to even manage a biting tone anymore. 

He was so tired. 

“Hey…” Eirian started, moving to sit on the end of his bed as the mattress dipped under her sudden weight. “You alright?”

Without missing a beat, Adam lied. “Sure.”

“No, you’re not.” The way she saw right through it left Adam sitting there in silence. “You thinking about Blake?”

“I don’t wanna talk about it. I’m fine.”

Even with his insistence, Eirian was anything but convinced. Crimson eyes darting away, she seemed thoughtful about something, but what it was that she was thinking was left a mystery to the Faunus boy. Honestly, he just hoped she wouldn’t keep pushing on the problem. He didn’t want to think about it. He couldn’t think about it.

It just hurt too much. It was easier to ignore the pain and carry on with what scraps he had of his life.

Glancing around the room, he lowkey wished Zanthus was around. Ruri had arrived back at their dorms with her sister in tow, the group barely able to introduce themselves before the silent member of their team grabbed what she wanted and left for Mistral Town down in the city. Thankfully, she accepted Zanthus’ offer to go. Adam trusted his friend to get to the bottom of whatever was plaguing Ruri.

However, that meant he was stuck in their room with Eirian, and if the last few months taught him anything, it was that she didn’t easily give up on something, even when she did give it some space. 

Finally, her voice broke what little silence he could enjoy. “I don’t wanna keep saying I’m sorry for your loss. I know that it doesn’t really help the pain that much.”

He didn’t respond to that. Hand propped under his pillow, he laid there, resting his other hand on his abdomen while barely listening to his teammate. 

“I get it, you know? What it’s like to lose someone who’s family. But, I guess I understand more what the guilt does to you.”

“It’s not something I wanna talk about.” Adam pressed. “Please, just drop it.”

Thankfully, she got the hint. With a solemn expression on her face, she nodded, getting up from the spot on his bed and moving back to Zanthus’. Books were scattered all over, the work that she had yet to do stacked up in messy piles. Perched on the headboard, Nabk watched his creator getting on with the schoolwork with a curious gaze, occasionally looking over at Adam, and then the door.

Ever since Ruri left to spend the afternoon with her sister, he’d been eagerly waiting for her return. 

For a while, it was completely silent. Only the occasional flip of paper and a frustrated sigh broke that silence. Adam thought he’d have enjoyed the quiet, but as he laid there, he found himself just tired and numb. Slowly, he looked down the side of his bed at a few reading books he had borrowed from Ruri, having not finished any of them since he came home from the hospital. 

There was no energy left in his body to even pick on up. Sluggish, he left the books alone, opting to simply try and get some sleep before the rest of his team returned. 

That chance was quickly snatched when a knocking on the door alerted the two students. Flustered, Nabk started squawking, wings flapping as he flew over to perch on top of the wardrobe’s doors. 

As he kept making noises, Eirian got up from the bed, nearly tripping over her books as she stammered. “Coming! Hold on!”

Quickly, she reached the door, opening it a crack while Nabk flew down onto her shoulder, craning his neck around to see who was bothering them. From where he was, Adam could hear a quiet voice from behind the door.

“Um…” It muttered. “Is Adam here?”

“Oh, you’re one of his friends?” Eirian asked cheerfully.

There was a brief moment of silence, before she turned away from the door, walking back to her bed as she turned to her leader. “Someone’s here to see you.”

Intrigue wormed its way past his depressed exterior, pushing Adam to sit up so that he could see who had come to see him. 

Much to his surprise, the person walking awkwardly into the room was none other than Steven. The boy from the ship. He looked the same as usual, albeit nervous around Eirian as she stared at him, seemingly missing the fact that her staring was going on for way too long. 

“Oh,” Adam started, propping a pillow behind him to rest against. “Hey.”

“Hey. Just wanted to check up on you, ya know? Make sure you’re alright.” Steven explained, shutting the door behind him. 

It was a kind gesture. One that Adam appreciated, even if he couldn’t really voice it at that moment. Instead, he silently sat there as Steven accepted the chair from the desk as Eirian offered it, making himself comfortable before carrying on. “I heard what happened with the White Fang.”

“You did?” Eirian nervously replied.

“Well, most of the school has, actually.”

“...They did?” She repeated.

“Gustave has taken to spreading rumours that you were part of the White Fang, Adam.” Steven revealed, turning to properly address the horned boy. “Said that it would only be a matter of time before you turn on us for them. I told him to knock it off, but it’s hard to stop people from talking.”

That filled Adam with dread. For months, he had managed to keep his ties to the White Fang a secret, and now all his work had been washed away. 

Grimacing, he could only grumble back. “It doesn’t matter. Let them think whatever they want.”

“What? Adam, you understand what they’re saying, right? They’re trying to make you out as a traitor and a terrorist!” Steven gasped.

“I was. I am. I abandoned my family, my people, to run off and try to pretend to be something I’m not.” He couldn’t stop himself in the moment. A dead silence weighed heavy over them, the lack of emotion in Adam’s voice setting the others on edge. 

“Adam…” Eirian piped up. “That’s not true.”

“Isn’t it? What’s the point in telling the school any different when they’ve already made up their minds?”

“‘Cause they’re wrong!” Eirian shot back. “I know you have a heart deep inside! Your friend does too! You can keep saying that you’re all these horrible things, but I’m not gonna believe it, and I know that deep down, you don’t either!”

“Why’d you even think that? It’s not like we’re friends.”

Eirian paused for a moment. Clearly taken aback by his confession, she didn’t let it stop her, standing up to his bitter words stronger than she could’ve done weeks before. 

“Would a horrible person tear up half of Vale to look for his sister? Would a horrible person save me from that White Fang member?” She questioned, standing up from her bed as she stared down at Adam. “Would a horrible person care so much for his people and his friends?”

He had no answers. Sitting there silently, he only listened to Steven as he added. “You helped me when everyone else stood there laughing. You didn’t need to, but you did. You can try and hide it under all this loner bravado, but I think you care more than you’re willing to admit.”

Even with all the good things being brought to light, Adam couldn’t feel the warming sensation of his heart, or the lifted spirits when someone praised him. Rather, he felt hollow, like every good thing given to him just fell through him. 

Slowly, he laid back down, turning his head away from his friends while muttering. “You guys can do whatever you want. I’m going to sleep.”

Eirian’s saddened voice spoke from behind him. “Adam-”

“Just leave me alone.”

There was nothing left for them to say. Silence once again filled the room, only the hushed voices of the two students besides Adam reaching his ears. Too muffled to make out completely, he said nothing while Eirian mumbled. “Thanks for coming to check on him. I’m sorry about him, he’s just been out of it since the attack.”

“It’s to be expected.” Steven brushed off. “Just lemme know how he’s doing later on? I’ll give you my Scroll number.”

“Sure. Lemme just…” The conversation drifted off there. 

Without another word shared between them, Steven and Eirian shared their numbers before the former decided to take off. No goodbyes were shared between him and Adam. He wouldn’t have replied anyway, laying there silently as the door shut quietly, alerting the depressed teen to the departure of the older student. 

With Steven gone, all he could hear was the footsteps from Eirian, listening to her as she moved around the room. Eventually, even she settled back down on the bed. For a moment, he thought that she would try to talk to him again, break Adam out of the bubble he trapped himself in, but nothing was uttered to him. Rather, she flipped through her work again, typing on the dorm laptop without a thought spared for him.

Part of him was relieved, but another was saddened. He wanted to be left alone, but the loneliness did little to actually help, leaving him with all the time in the world to think about his past. 

Tiredness wracked his body. From sleep deprivation, his body trying to heal from his numerous injuries, and his crippling emotional emptiness, it all left him too tired to even move anymore. As he laid there, listening to the typing and flipping of paper, he felt his eyes slowly close. He’d try and get as much sleep as he could. 

Slowly, he drifted away into the comforting void of slumber. Everything felt quiet. Calm. For a moment, he was actually at peace, enjoying the time away from the stress of Beacon, his team, and his guilt. 

For once, he drifted away to a time where everything felt like it would be alright. 

Menagerie. Asilé was always a place he could return to, even if it was only a few times before he ultimately left it for good. The capital of the Faunus’ kingdom, it was meant to be a symbol of sanctuary for those. 

With wooden walls built high and armed with guards, it was protected from the Grimm that plagued the rest of the island. The docks were always filled with ships and people, bringing in trade from the settlements in Southern Mistral and her islands, with its aquamarine waters shallow enough to deter any Grimm that lived in the open oceans. 

From the balcony of the Belladonna home, he’d watch the ships in the distance. A child no older than eleven, he leaned against the wooden beam, his one blue eye glistening with wonder. With the night sky casting shadows across the entire city, only orange lanterns led the way, guiding those still outside back to their homes. Like a giant beacon, the ship's bright lights dazzled in the distance, the red and yellow colours hypnotizing the young boy.

Softly, he felt a hand pat the top of his head, smoothing out his wild red hair before a soft, feminine voice spoke. “Enjoying the sights, Adam?”

He glanced up, smiling softly when he saw those gentle blue eyes staring back at him. The woman beside him looked content. With grey hair cut choppily in a bob, her large, wolf ears moved around with each new sound, focusing on the distant sound of a ship horn as it echoed throughout the city. 

Dressed in a black, form fitting nightgown, she looked ready for bed, having already removed the black earrings that she usually wore in her right ear.

“Yeah, I wanted to see the ships before they left again.” He confessed, turning his head to watch them again. “Where’re they gonna go now?”

“Back to Mistral. Lots of Faunus here do trade in the southern villages there, and some of the islands grow the produce that we can’t here in Menagerie.” She explained. 

“Can we see them someday, Mom?” He asked quietly.

The hand on top of his head stroked his hair softly. It was comforting, Adam finding himself leaning into it while Hajimu promised. “Someday. When your sister’s a lil’ older.”

Right then, tiny footsteps echoed behind them. Catching Hajimu’s attention, she turned around in surprise, quickly followed by Adam as he looked behind him. Standing there by the door, a small girl waited patiently. Dressed in a long, black gown that crossed over her chest, held together by a thin white obi, she was holding a book in one hand while holding the door with the other.

“Adam. You promised you’d read to me.” She piped up, holding the book to him with both hands. “I want this one.”

Adam grunted in annoyance, upset that his time watching the ships were disturbed, but he did promise. Watching those eyes staring up at him, one gold and one blue, he felt his brief frustration vanish, and instead approached the small Blake with a smile. 

Taking the book, he patted the top of her head affectionately. “Come on. Let’s go to bed.”

Ears perked up at that. Smiling brightly, Blake turned around and ran back into the house, not even saying goodnight to her mother before she did so. Adam paused, however. Standing there in the doorway, he turned back around to Hajimu, smiling warmly while saying. “Night, Mom.”

“Goodnight, Adam.”

With that, he went inside. Along the long hallways decorated with thick pillars and artwork hanging on the walls, he gave a few glances at some of the family portraits that dangled there, including some of Ghira’s parents from when the mansion was first built. 

As he finally reached Blake’s room, he found the little girl already sitting in her giant sized bed. Toys scattered across the floor, he had to avoid stepping on them as he maneuvered through the room, only having the soft glow of Blake’s lamp to guide him. Huffing, he pointed out sharply. “Mom said to pick up your toys before bed.”

“I’ll do it tomorrow.”

She always promised that. 

Managing to avoid the maze of dangerous toys, Adam pulled himself up onto the bed, settling down beside Blake as she wormed her way under the thin blanket. Book on his lap, he opened it, skimming through the pages until Blake’s quiet voice piped up. “Page 27.”

“You read ahead without me?”

“No.” She paused for a moment. “I finished this one already.”

“Then why’d you pick it?”

Ears twitched slightly as she confessed. “I want you to read it to me.”

That stunned him for a moment. Glancing down at the book in his hands, he smiled softly, waiting until Blake was comfortable before he started reading. It wasn’t a book that he knew. Still, it read like a classic fairytale, with a champion of the Faunus rising up from the ashes, leading their people with a banner of black and white, finding a home where they would live peacefully alongside the humans. 

A child’s story. For a moment, he could ignore the burning pain in his face, reading out the story as Blake watched in wonder. 

Eventually, she piped up. “I wanna be like the heroes in my books.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I can be like Dad and make Menagerie like the kingdom I read about, where Faunus can live happily and at peace with humans.” She confessed confidently. “I don’t wanna be a princess.”

That caught Adam’s attention. “Why not?”

“‘Cause I don’t wanna stay in the tower. I wanna fight. I’m good at it.” Blake paused. “When I’m older, I’ll join the White Fang. Then I can help people and be a hero, and I can protect you so no one can hurt you again.”

Shuffling from under her blanket, she moved closer to her brother. He didn’t move, staying still in his spot as he watched her approach him, fighting back the urge to wrench away when she gently touched the bandage covering his eye. 

“I wanna join with you, and then we can protect each other, right?”

His visible eye widened at that. Awestruck, he stared into her eyes, so full of childlike enthusiasm and determination. For a moment, he actually believed her. Believed those words that, in the end, they would protect each other from the dangers of the world outside their home. 

A smile pulling at his lips, he poked her on the tip of her nose, watching her face crumple in with tiny kitten ears falling flat momentarily. 

His voice was a gentle hum when he replied. “Right.”

Little did he know just how much he needed that promise. By the time he was fifteen, Adam found himself and Blake, just twelve, casted out into the world. The comforts of home were a distant memory, the choices they made to leave weighing heavily on both their shoulders.

Sometimes that weight was too much. As the White Fang faction in Vale set up camp in the dense forest, he found that Blake was nowhere to be seen. 

The fear that she ran was brief, Adam managing to keep it locked away deep inside when he found her nearby. A small figure huddled up on giant rocks that lined a nearby lake, Adam approached her carefully, calling out her name. “Blake?”

She didn’t respond. For a moment, he thought that she just needed some time alone, knowing that she heard him with the way her ears twisted backwards to face him. As he took a step away, he heard her voice mutter softly.

“That’s not my name.”

He stopped dead in his tracks, looking over his shoulder as he pointed out. “It’s the one you chose.”

“It’s still not me, though.” Blake pressed, burying half her face into her knees while her arms wrapped tightly around them. “Can’t you just call me by my real one? Please?”

The request was a simple one. With a deep sigh, Adam decided to at least give her that one wish. 

“Alright, Yaeka.” Slowly, he walked towards the rocks she was sitting atop, climbing up to her side while asking. “Why’d you even choose Blake, anyway?”

Eyes shifted over to him, the sharp focus in them so different from the eyes he was so used to. “Blake was my friend. I don’t want people to forget him.”

“So, you chose his name for, what, some kind of tribute?”

She nodded. The dark circles under her eyes were apparent even under the moonlight, Adam staring at her momentarily before looking at the lake before them. It was a beautiful sight. The shattered moon reflected in the dark waters, not a cloud in the sky to block out the pure white light. 

He could almost forget his troubles, if not for Blake piping up again. “Do you think they’re still looking for us?”

His gaze shifted back to her. Any biting retort died in his throat when he saw how upset she was, making herself look as small as possible as she added. “Mom must be so worried. I hope she’s not too upset.”

“They’re the ones who abandoned us.” Adam shot back bitterly, glancing away as he leaned backwards. “They could’ve stayed in the White Fang with us. We wouldn’t have had to run away if they actually cared.”

“Adam… don’t you want them here anymore?”

“Why would I want them here? So they can make empty promises again? I’m good. We got everyone we need here, people who won’t drop us and leave at the first sign of trouble.” He snapped harshly, glaring at the ground down below.

Blake didn’t say anything immediately. The silence building up between them was suffocating, Adam pulling his mask off and leaving it in his lap. No one was around to see. 

“I’m scared, Adam.”

Her confession wiped away any anger he was feeling. Surprised, he turned to face Blake again, his face softened as he replied. “What’d you want me to say?”

Ears flat against her head, she finally met his gaze, holding it with glistening eyes as she practically begged him for comfort. “That you’ll be here for me.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” He smiled gently, patting Blake on the top of her head. “We still have our promise, remember? We gotta protect each other.”

The reminder of their promise brought some relief to Blake. Ears perking up ever so slightly, she nodded in response, turning to look over the quiet lake once more. “Yeah. We do.”

There, the peace between them was much appreciated. Both of the siblings sitting there, watching the moon high in the skies, neither one of them saying another word. Yet the peace wasn’t enough for Adam. 

Deep down, he shared Blake’s worries and grief. He didn’t want Hajimu to be upset, unable to stomach the thought of the woman he had seen as his mother grieving over the loss of her children. He didn’t want to care. It would’ve been easier, allowing Adam to move on and do what he needed to do in the White Fang, but feelings were rarely simple and easy to control. 

That carried with him. 

Slowly, he felt himself start to pull away from his memories, the dreams that relayed his past to him, moving back to the sharp world of reality around him. 

Eyes fluttered open, staring at the wall of his dorm room as he blinked slowly. Everything felt fuzzy. After a few moments, he managed to brush off some of the effect from sleep, rubbing his eye gently while voices started to come into focus around him. 

“Shhh, he’s waking up.” A deep voice hushed.

Gingerly, he sat up, leaning against the hardwood of his headboard while looking around. Familiar eyes stared back at him. 

“When did you guys get back?” He muttered, scratching the top of his head. 

Sitting on his bed with Eirian, Zanthus was the first to answer. “An hour ago. Ruri went to walk her sister back to the hotel. She should be back soon.”

“You slept for a long time. You feelin’ alright, now?” Eirian piped up.

“Peachy.” Adam grumbled back, his hands dropping to his lap.

Despite his quick and short answers, the other members of his team seemed anything but convinced that he was as alright as he made himself out to be. Glancing at each other, they said nothing at first, but they didn’t need to, their small looks enough for Adam to snap. “What?”

“Eirian told me about before. When your friend came to visit.” Zanthus confessed, earning a tired sigh from Adam before he continued. “We can deal with Gustave if you want. If he knows he’ll get into serious trouble for spreading these vicious rumours, maybe he’ll stop-”

“Don’t bother.”

Adam’s short retort stunned them. Temporarily silent, Eirian was not so shocked as Zanthus was, only sitting there solemnly while her friend choked out. “Adam-”

“I’m not in the mood to deal with this shit. I just want to be left alone.”

Zanthus clearly didn’t want to leave it at that. Knowing that his friend and leader was being talked about behind his back, made out to be this evil person, it made his blood boil, and the worst thing is that he knew who had started it. Unable to fix it, he was left floundering.

But rather than try to fight, he could see the tiredness in Adam’s face. With a faint nod, he conceded the argument. “Okay. We’ll give you some time to sort things out, but you can come to us if you want, alright?”

“Yeah, we’re a team.” Eirian joined in. “We gotta protect each other, right?”

Adam’s face dropped at that. His visible eye staring down at his lap, he felt neither comfort or happiness to have people watching his back, rather bitterly remembering a time where he himself made that same promise. 

Unable to contain that bitterness anymore, he sharply retorted. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

The air felt cold at that. Heavy on his shoulders, he felt like he could see his breath every time he exhaled, even though the dorm rooms themselves were kept at a pretty toasty temperature. It sent chills up his spine. The sensation worsened when he noticed the downtrodden expressions on his teammates’ faces, neither one of them pushing him any further. 

He didn’t want to feel like this, he didn’t want to hurt them too. Yet no matter how hard he tried, the emptiness in his gut just refused to leave. 

Thankfully, the awkward silence was broken when the door opened. Everyone focusing on it, they were all relieved when Ruri came through, closing the door behind her quietly. No longer wearing her uniform, she was dressed in a loose qipao style shirt, her long, white pants hiding the black boots she was wearing. 

“Did your sister get to her hotel alright?” Eirian piped up.

Hanging her bag on the back of the desk chair, Ruri nodded quickly, turning to grabbing her pyjamas and getting dressed behind the wardrobe door. Hidden from everyone’s view, they could only see the clothes that she tossed onto the desk. None of them said anything. Without her seeing them, she wouldn’t have noticed anyway.

When she finally appeared from behind the door, dressed in her night clothes, Eirian tried to get her friend to open up more. “It’s sad that she’s only here for the week. If she could’ve waited a bit longer, we could all go into the city together once my dorm arrest was up.”

Despite the smile on her face, Ruri seemed far less than impressed. Eyes narrowing, she huffed quietly, turning to grab some of her school work to do before bed. 

The cold brush off didn’t go unnoticed. Sharing a nervous look with Zanthus, Eirian got up from the bed, approaching Ruri with that same smile. “I was thinking we could work together on Professor Melina’s latest assignment. You’ve always had a knack for this stuff.”

“ _I’ve already finished it._ ” Ruri signed back, sitting down on her bed with work piled neatly beside her.

The smile started to strain, Eirian trying to think carefully about what to say. Something didn’t feel right.

“Oh, cool. I knew you would. You’re pretty smart with this stuff.” She complimented, rubbing the back of her head nervously. “Mind giving me some notes, then? I’m still pretty slow on this topic.”

“ _Fine._ ” Quickly, she grabbed her notebook and passed it to her partner. “ _There. Please return it when you’re done._ ”

With the notebook in hand, Eirian stood there aimlessly, unsure of what to say or do at that moment. With a few quick glances behind her to the others, all she got was confused looks and shrugs. 

Turning back to Ruri, she just muttered. “Right. Well, I’ll make sure to give them back soon.”

Ruri said nothing. Head in her notes, she scribbled away, focused entirely on her work while her team could just stand there silently. No longer paying any attention to Eirian, the dark skinned girl gave up trying to get her attention, knowing it would all be futile if Ruri wasn’t looking at her. 

Dejected, she took the notebook and returned to Zanthus’ bed. As she sat down, the feline Faunus was the first to speak. “She’s been pretty distant since she came back to the dorms with Seigyoku.”

“Could it be the whole Vytal Tournament situation?” Eirian whispered back.

“Possibly. We were meant to be going to Mistral this year, maybe she’s just upset that she’ll miss out visiting her home kingdom.” He pointed out.

Eirian looked guilty for a moment. With a quick look at the girl in question, she turned back to Zanthus and muttered. “There’s gotta be something we can do to cheer her up.”

“If you got any ideas, I’d love to hear them.” He replied. “‘Cause I’m drawing a blank.”

It seemed like the two were the only ones who could think of something. With Adam too far in his own grief and depression to offer a helping hand, they’d have to work without him. Still, Eirian tried to keep her positive attitude. “It shouldn’t be too hard.”

“Well, you can’t exactly do much outside this dorm for the next two weeks.”

“Yes, thank you for reminding me.” Eirian shot back angrily.

“I’m just saying.” He shrugged. 

Suddenly, he leaned backwards to avoid a rogue punch to his chest. Given that he was still wearing his chestplate, it was more lucky for Eirian’s hand than for himself, though she didn’t see it that way with her face mushed up in anger. 

“Okay, okay.” He conceded, holding onto her wrist with a gentle grip. “You’ve made your point. She’ll probably be attached to her sister’s side for the week, but once your dorm arrest is done, we can take her into town to relax and have some fun.”

Eirian’s face perked up at that, her dreads swaying as she nodded earnestly. “Good plan. I’m sure the two weeks will fly by.”

“Here’s to hoping.”

Releasing her wrist, he turned to the work that was scattered across his bed. “We still got some time before bed. I can help with your work.”

“You did the Law assignment we have?”

“Oh no, I’ve completely blanked on that one.” He confessed, laughing nervously while scratching the back of his head. “But at least we can do that one together. Two heads are always better than one.”

“Our two heads didn’t help with the last assignment.” Eirian pouted, remembering the bad marks both her and Zanthus received for their terrible work. 

She knew she was gonna get it after spending all night beforehand trying to get as much done as possible, but seeing the giant F on her work stung more than she was willing to admit. Especially when she looked at Ruri and Adam’s work, finding that while Adam managed to score a B, Ruri went and outclassed all of them with her A+. 

She didn’t want to admit it, but seeing Ruri succeed in everything compared to her made Eirian start to doubt her place in Beacon. Fighting was one thing, but if she didn’t get her grades up, she’d soon find herself left behind by everyone else. 

At least Zanthus was there to share her worries with.

As they worked together, she felt the crippling anxiety ease away, taking the time to just enjoy the fun she was having with her friend. Even if it was doing the worst subject ever to be created. With the Gods as her witness, Eirian would find whoever decided to make Law so complicated and make them eat sand. 

Maybe not hot sand, that could seriously hurt. Wet sand. Gross, slimy wet sand. With seaweed bits in it. 

As she thought through her numerous tame threats, she looked over at Adam’s bed. The horned Faunus having settled back down on his bed, she couldn’t stop the worry from gripping her, made all the worse since she didn’t know how to fix it. Adam wanted to be left alone, having no energy left to care since he lost Blake, but there had to be something she could do.

There, she noticed the amulet that Zanthus gave him dangling on the post of his bed. It glistened in the light from the ceiling, the amber glowing a faint orange while it hung completely still against the bed. 

He hadn’t worn it since that night. When Zanthus ran away, she noticed that he left his amulet hanging on the bed, even hearing him mutter some prayers that night. She didn’t know exactly what he said, but given the type of god that his gift symbolised, she could guess what he wanted. 

Yet, when his prayers were answered and Zanthus came back, Adam didn’t try to reconnect. Rather, he kept everyone at an arm's length again, and it just frustrated her more. 

Whatever Zanthus felt about it was an enigma. Quick to give Adam the space he needed, he seemed to handle the whole situation far better than Eirian could, and it was honestly something that confused her deeply. If she knew how to calm herself down, she would. It was better to think things logically than run around completely at the mercy of one’s emotions. But it was a problem that she dealt with for years.

It wasn’t the time to voice her problems, though. Zanthus had already decided to wait until everything had calmed down and they were free to move about Beacon once more as they pleased, but waiting was difficult. Not difficult, it was almost _impossible._

Eirian hated being trapped. She wanted to go outside and enjoy the world around her, to spend the time she had with friends and just have fun.

Deep down, she knew it was her own fault. Breaking the law had serious consequences. She knew that, especially with something as bad as bringing unauthorised weapons into the city and endangering the public. But if she had the chance to do it again, she’d do it without hesitation. For Adam, for Zanthus, for Ruri.

For her friends. 

As the night moved on and the impromptu study session came to an end, Eirian and Zanthus got ready for bed quietly. Adam still hadn’t woken up, and even Ruri was settling down herself, ready to get some needed sleep.

Changed into some comfortable pyjamas, she shuffled past Ruri’s bed with a quiet. “Night, Ruri.”

No response. She didn’t expect it, but it still hurt being ignored. 

“Goodnight, Eirian.” Zanthus piped up, having already buried himself in his blankets before she even made it to her own bed.

As she slipped under the covers, she smiled warmly and replied. “Night, Zanthus.”

“Don’t forget your alarm this time.” That happened one time. 

Huffing, she grabbed her scroll from the spot beside her pillow and made sure to set the alarm, checking it twice over before dropping it back in its place. Suddenly, the light turned off, and she was left lying there in the dark. 

Any tiredness she should’ve felt vanished. Eyes wide open, she could only lie there silently, watching the room around her while countless thoughts raced through her mind. No matter how hard she tried to switch it off, she couldn’t. It was like an annoying fly that refused to leave her alone. 

Everything can be fixed, she would think to herself. There was always a solution to her problems. She’d just have to find it. 

Still, that was easier said than done. 

It felt like hours had passed by with her lying there in her bed. Eventually, she sat up, glancing over at her teammates to make sure they were asleep. “Guys?”

No response. After waiting for a few more seconds, she settled back down with her hand pushing under her pillow. Fingers felt around, rummaging in the dark space before she felt the smooth texture of wood. Pausing, she grabbed it slowly, pulling the object from under the pillow into full view.

Rolling on her back, she stared up at the possession in her hands. 

A photo frame. The wood was nicked with numerous tiny scars, clearly worn from the passage of time, but inside the glass frame, the photo itself was well preserved if a little aged from the years that had passed.

Posing for the picture, she could easily recognise herself and her father, both younger than they were now. Icheku had far less wrinkles, his dark skin gleaming with youth that age did little to dampen. In his burly arms, Eirian smiled brightly at the camera. A child of only seven, she remembered that day as if it had only happened yesterday. 

Her dreads were certainly shorter, barely reaching past her ears compared to the long dreads that she sported nowadays. Round, red eyes that were bigger than before, and squished cheeks that showed the cutest dimples, she looked so happy. It almost made her nostalgic.

There, beside her and Icheku, stood another woman. Unlike the others, she was incredibly pale, sporting curly orange hair that stuck out in wild curls, two strands resting on her shoulders while the rest reached just past her shoulder blades. From the angle she was standing, it was hard to make out the scars on her face, two clear scratches from years as a Huntress. 

Compared to Icheku’s bare outfit, his animal skins covering only some of his body, the woman was more modestly dressed, her deep blue dress held with a black corset that was decorated with ivory ribs. While the photo stopped just above her knees, the dress split by the hip, showing the skin of her thigh before the leather of her boot covered it. Yet with all of the details clear in the photo, the one thing that Eirian fixated on were the eyes.

Crimson red. Deep and bright while Icheku’s were a beautiful purple, they were the only thing connecting the woman to the girl beside her. 

With a gentle kiss on the photo, Eirian muttered softly. “Night, Mom.”

There, she put the photo back under her pillow, and settled down for the night, desperate for the advice of a voice long gone from the world. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As it's the 20th chapter, I'll be taking a week hiatus to relax before starting the next one! This'll be the case every 10 chapters, so see you guys in two weeks!


	21. The Beast's Hunter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Vytal Festival finally arrives. As the students of Beacon prepare to leave their Academy to travel to Mistral, Team AZRE are left behind. All four recovering from the sting of their punishment, the consequences to their actions fully sink in, and while they sort out the rumour spreading by Gustave, the feelings that Ruri had been keeping buried deep comes to light.

Adam told them not to get involved. With the death of Blake, his injuries, and all his secrets being laid bare for the world to see, he had no energy left to fight. It broke Zanthus’ heart seeing his friend and leader so broken.

Even though he went to their lessons, Zanthus could tell that Adam was struggling. Blue eyes once so sharp were dull and lifeless. They just stared ahead, watching something that wasn’t there. 

He couldn’t even begin to imagine what was running through the bull Faunus’ head. 

When the school day ended, he and Eirian would return to their dorm room, unable to even enjoy the last days of summer. Seigyoku would take their place, even allowing Zanthus to accompany her and Ruri as they enjoyed the city and all it had to offer, but even then he felt little more than an awkward third wheel. 

As they sat in a quaint little cafe on the street corner, Zanthus watched the cars drive by below. Open skies above them, the sun beat down on their shoulders without any roof to offer shade, the customers sitting on the first floor of the building enjoying the breeze and warmth. 

He wasn’t one for tea. Staring down at his reflection in the rich brown liquid, he listened as Seigyoku piped up. “It’s not gonna taste any better cold, ya know?”

“Sorry,” he mumbled, taking the cup in one hand as he gingerly took a sip. Disgust clear on his face, his ears lowered slightly when he put it back on its saucer. “I’m not a big fan of tea.”

“I got some coffee here if you wanna swap?” she offered, lifting her own cup with a raised eyebrow.

When he shook his head in response, Seigyoku shrugged and put her cup back down, leaning her chin into the palm of her hand while taking in the views around her. “I went to this store in Mistral Town, the cute one that sells authentic herbs from the southern regions, that your eccentric friend recommended me.”

“ _ Eirian? _ ” Ruri asked.

“That one. She goes there all the time, apparently. Though I was surprised to find out that she doesn’t use the herbs for cooking.” Seigyoku confessed, taking a sip of her coffee. “Never met anyone who knows so much about ancient medicine that isn’t a native Mistrali.”

“Eirian has a knack for history. She probably learned from some ancient tome she dug up from libraries across Remnant.” Zanthus pointed out.

“ _ Or went and asked the apocatheries back home. _ ” Ruri added.

Seigyoku chuckled at that. “Don’t tell our parents, but I actually found some herbs that help people looking to… add an addition to the family.”

“Herbs that… Oh.” Zanthus’ face flushed bright red at that, his ears dropping completely while he looked away bashfully.

“Come on,” Seigyoku laughed. “Both of you are at that age now where you’re thinking about the future. Don’t you guys have someone you wanna have a family with?”

Someone came to mind. Thoughtful, Zanthus felt his nervousness wash away, even finding the confidence to admit to the older Huntress. “There’s… someone I’m interested in, actually.”

“Oooo, tell me. Who’s the lucky girl?” 

“It’s a guy, actually.”

Seigyoku didn’t skip a beat as she corrected herself. “Alright, who’s the lucky guy?”

The name felt like a heavy weight in his throat. Fidgeting in his seat, Zanthus glanced over at Ruri, finding the girl just as intrigued as her sister was. Double pairs of eyes staring right at him, he grumbled with his face feeling like it was on fire. “Don’t tell anyone.”

“Scout’s honour.” Seigyoku promised, drawing a cross over her heart while grabbing Ruri’s hand and copying the same gesture.

“I think, I mean… I don’t know how to put it.” He stammered. “It’s… Adam. I don’t exactly know when or why, but something just changed. Every time I’m with him, it feels like there’s butterflies in my stomach, and I can’t help but want him to look at me the same way I look at him.”

“Oh yeah, you’re deep in it.” Seigyoku pointed out.

“But isn’t there something wrong with it? He’s my leader, and I don’t want things to be unprofessional between us.”

“Don’t ask me, I dated my leader for six years.” The Huntress confessed with a shrug. “The way I see it, there’s nothing wrong with falling in love with someone, even when you’re both in the same team. The heart can’t help yearning for someone.”

Zanthus’ voice fell as he replied. “I can’t really confess this to him right now. Adam’s in such a bad shape, and I don’t know what to do to help.”

“Want my advice?” She waited until he nodded before continuing. “You don’t need to confess right away. Love and infatuation are two sides of the same coin. Love needs time, and you’re smart in looking at the situation logically. Just be there for the boy, build up a relationship that you both can work on, and just be friends first. There’s plenty of time to think things through.”

“ _ Adam is going through a heavy loss. If we try and push him to get over his grief quickly, we’ll just do more harm than good. _ ” Ruri added.

It made sense. A huge weight lifted off Zanthus’ shoulders, the burden of his emotions no longer strangling him, but there was something else. 

“It doesn’t help with the rumours that are spreading around the Academy.” He pointed out sullenly. “No one will listen to us. How can we help when whatever we do just makes things worse?”

“Rumours? Jeez, this feels more like a high school than an Academy for the elite.” Seigyoku murmured. “Have you tried going to Oz for once? Or any of the professors?”

“With what? That some people are spreading rumours, but we’re gonna pin it on Gustave with only our word for it?” Zanthus leaned his chin into the palm of his hand.

That made Seigyoku think. Ears twitching on the top of her head, the way her fluffy tail curled from behind the chair was something Zanthus couldn’t miss, his trained eyes spotting it from where he sat. Neither of the younger students said a word, rather sitting there patiently until she spoke once more.

“I can’t exactly go and rough him up for you guys. Put a bit of a stain on my record…” She mused. “Is there any way you can prove that it was even this Gustave who spread the rumours? Like, does he have any history with Adam, or even just derogatory remarks about the Faunus in general?”

“I mean, there was the incident during Professor Tabi’s lesson, and later on he got into a fight with Adam about the White Fang in World of Remnant class.” Zanthus remembered.

“ _ Not to mention Gustave brought up Adam’s deceased mother, and his missing father. _ ” Ruri joined in. “ _ Still, we technically didn’t hear it. Adam doesn’t have the strength to even care, and two Faunus won’t be able to get him to admit anything.” _

“So, all you need is a confession that you can take to Ozpin?” Seigyoku replied. “Is there anyone you know that could help with that?”

“Maybe Eirian can get him more than we can? She doesn’t exactly look like a Faunus.”

Ruri shook her head at that. “ _ Everyone saw her father when he came to Beacon. If Gustave didn’t know before, he would’ve heard on the grape vine.” _

“People like him hate the Faunus, but they hate mixed kids even more.” Seigyoku sighed. 

It was frustrating. Eyebrows furrowing in thought, Zanthus kept quiet for a while, going through what little options he had. 

Suddenly, something clicked. With a click of his fingers, he turned to Ruri and blurted out. “Professor Melina!”

Both sisters stared at him in confusion. Bashfully, he elaborated on his initial remark. “They can help. If Gustave doesn’t wanna be honest with us, he has to be honest to the professor. Their Semblance makes a person tell the whole truth. At least, how much they personally know.”

“ _ Is it really ethical to ask a professor to use their Semblance on a student? _ ” Ruri questioned.

“They used it on Eirian so she’d cough up what Adam was doing. What’s the difference between that and making Gustave talk?”

“Well, one was regarding a higher security breach regarding terrorists.” Seigyoku pointed out. “The other is a student spreading rumours. There is a good possibility that Melina will refuse, especially since you guys aren’t exactly in her good books with the whole docks situation.”

Zanthus deflated at that. “You’re not exactly wrong.”

“ _ Well… they seem to like Eirian. Maybe we can go and talk to Professor Melina with her?” _

Ruri’s suggestion lifted his spirits again. As Zanthus got up from his chair, he turned to Seigyoku. “Thanks for the tea, but we better get back before it gets too dark. With the students leaving for Haven tomorrow, we shouldn’t waste any time.”

Ruri seemed to pause. Sitting there in her chair still, she glanced over at Seigyoku, like something was keeping her pinned in place. 

With a silent glance, Seigyoku sighed and got up to her feet, watching as her sister followed suit while offering. “I can take you to your dorms to grab your friend. When you guys go and talk to your professor, I’ll have a word with Adam.”

“That’s… thank you.” Zanthus was relieved to hear the offer for help. 

A brief nod, and Seigyoku led the students back to the Academy. The walk back was lighthearted, Ruri trying to enjoy it with her sister while Zanthus kept to the back, too troubled by his own thoughts and problems to join in the conversation. It was best to give them the time they needed anyway. With the end of the week approaching fast, it wouldn’t be long until Seigyoku would have to leave for Haven.

Finally, they returned to their dorms. Just like every other day, students were enjoying their free time, some sitting outside the familiar building while others sat in the rec room or their own dorms. None really paid attention to the students that were approaching, only to the Huntress who was leading them. 

Having spent nearly a week there, the initial reactions from enamoured students lessened, though some were still getting a quick glance before looking away. None of the attention seemed to bother Seigyoku.

As they reached their dorm room, Zanthus was welcomed to the same sight as the past few days. 

Adam hadn’t moved from his bed, practically unresponsive to the arrival of his friends, while Eirian was trying to play catch up with her work. Give the girl her due, she seemed to have gotten through quite a lot during her dorm arrest. 

Crimson eyes focused on them, she immediately got up from her bed with Nabk resting on her shoulder. “You’re back early! Bring me back anything?”

“I got some herbs you were looking for.” Seigyoku revealed, pulling out a small herb bag from the pouches on the back of her obi. 

As she handed them over to the excited Eirian, she paused for a moment, the bag hovering over Eirian’s eagerly awaiting hands. “Do not take more than three cloves a day. You’ll start leaking from everywhere like you wouldn’t believe.” 

“I know, I know. Gimme.”

Letting her have the bag, Seigyoku moved past the happy student and sat down on Zanthus’ bed, letting the others reveal their plan to their friend.

“Eirian,” Zanthus started as he approached her. “We’re gonna need your help with something.”

“Sure, what’s up?”

“We’re gonna go to Professor Melina to help with Gustave. Since it ain’t no secret that they like you the most, we need you to come with us.” Zanthus explained.

“I told you guys not to bother.” Adam grumbled from his bed, his back still to his friends while he added. “Even if Melina stops Gustave, the rumours are still out there. People still think what they want about me.”

“It’s not gonna stop the rumours, but we can at least get something right outta this. You really want Gustave to run around thinking that he can get away with this?” Zanthus countered.

Eirian joined in the conversation, taking Zanthus’ side as she did. “What if he makes things even worse for you, and us? What if he turns his eye on someone else?” 

Adam didn’t reply immediately. Slowly, he sat up from where he was lying down, turning to his team so that they could see him fully. There, Zanthus could see just how  _ tired  _ Adam was. 

His eyes were red and bloodshot, the bags under them impossible to miss. It looked like he hadn’t slept properly in weeks. Not only that, but his skin was dry and pale, no longer the sandy almond colour that he usually was. Together, Adam didn’t even look like he could get out of bed, let alone handle any more emotional turmoil. 

As Zanthus’ ears drooped slightly, he offered in a tender voice. “We’re not gonna go and make things worse. If we could, we woulda just talked to Gustave, but he won’t listen. I don’t want my friend to sit around like this for one more day.”

Adam’s eyes met his own. Holding the gaze, Zanthus approached his leader, placing a gentle hand on the other’s shoulder.

“I promise, things are gonna get better.” Even though he tried to smile, it was more a saddened attempt than he wanted. 

Although a small, genuine smile appeared on Adam’s face, it did little to lift his spirits. The heavy grief that haunted him couldn’t be so easily dispelled. 

So, as Adam glanced away once more, Zanthus’ face fell while his leader muttered quietly. “Do what you think is right. I think I’m gonna stay here.”

“Okay. We won’t be long.”

No response. 

With nothing left to say, Zanthus took Eirian and Ruri with him and left the room, closing the door behind him softly. As silence filled the room, Adam noticed that one person hadn’t gone with them.

“You don’t wanna go with them? Eirian shouldn’t be out of the dorm at this time.”

Seigyoku said nothing at first. Leaning forward, she propped her arms on her thighs, that sharp gaze unmoving from the student. Adam shuffled in his spot momentarily, slightly unnerved by the way those amethyst eyes bore straight into him. 

Thankfully, it wasn’t long before Seigyoku finally spoke. “They’re only trying to help, ya know?”

“I know. I just… I don’t think it’ll help, no matter what they do.” He pointed out tiredly. “It’s happened before, it’ll happen again. Even if it’s not Gustave, it’ll be a new bully, another human who looks at me and just…”

“Sees your horns? Knows your past?” He nodded in response to Seigyoku’s questions.

A deep exhale left her nose, the woman leaning back with pursed lips, deep in thought. “I get what you’re feeling. How hard it is when people judge you for what you are, what you’ve done.”

“I don’t know how much you can relate. You’re Seigyoku Kashima, the prized Huntress of Mistral, the champion of three Vytal Tournaments and soon to be the youngest person to ever be offered a position in the Jade Palace.” Adam murmured. “Even though you’re a Faunus, you’ve made so much for yourself. What have I done in comparison?”

“I’ve also made loads of mistakes.” Adam was quiet when he heard her confess that.

As he watched her, he could see none of that confidence anymore. Rather, she seemed downtrodden, sitting there on the bed opposite him.

“Did you know that for my first year at Haven, I was the worst performing student of the Academy?” She smiled sadly at that. “It’s true. First year away from my parents, and I went completely insane. No more rules, no more expectations… no more disappointment. But when I finally got control of myself, I found that letting the past stay in the past wouldn’t be so easy.”

Slowly, Adam turned his upper body around, leaning against his pillow as he listened intently to Seigyoku’s story. “Part of my behaviour was because of my life back home. But… part of it was because months before I got accepted into Haven, I lost my aunt; Rougyoku.”

“You lost her?”

“She was a Huntress. The first of my family, actually. When my father created Tsubaki, she was the one to train the guards and the people, give them a chance to survive. She inspired me to become a Huntress too, and when I got accepted, it was the happiest I had ever felt.” Any joy in her reminiscence vanished as Seigyoku continued. “But one day she left on a mission… and she never came back.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Don’t worry. It happens. She knew the risks of her career and so do we, but it hit the family hard. Father had already lost his entire family when his last village was attacked by Grimm, and Tsubaki was meant to be the place where we didn’t lose anymore.” Seigyoku elaborated. “Ruri was upset, but she never really knew our aunt like the rest of us, ya know? When I went to Haven after her disappearance, part of my behaviour there was because… I never really accepted her death. I didn’t give myself the chance to grieve properly.”

Cat ears perked up slightly. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that, I get what you’re going through. Both with this problem at the Academy… and your loss. My advice is to not push it away. Look your grief straight in the eye, and accept it. People we’ve loved are gone, but they’re not gone forever.”

“It feels that way.” Adam pointed out sadly.

“Yeah, it does. But even though they’re gone, the idea of them, their memories and their spirit, it still lives on. It’s our job now to remember them, to keep them alive and pass their memories on to those who’ll pass us.” Seigyoku smiled widely. “We gotta live on for them, cause what’ll happen to them if we don’t? Honestly, Blake and Rougyoku can never really die if we don’t let them, right?”

Adam glanced away from her, staring down at his hands as they rested on his lap. Even though it was difficult to accept, something about what Seigyoku said filled him with something that he hadn’t felt in a long time. Hope.

Slowly, he nodded with a quiet. “Right.”

Suddenly, he felt a hand on the top of his head. Fingers ruffling through his thick, red curls, he glanced up to see Seigyoku towering over him, that same wide grin on her face as she cheerfully retorted. “That’s the spirit.”

A tiny smile pulled at the corners of his lips. Feeling some of that heavy weight lift off his shoulders, he watched as Seigyoku backed off, turning to looking out the giant window with a thoughtful expression on her face.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you something. How’s Ruri been? All week she’s been hanging around me, but she’s never let me inside that head of hers.”

“Your guess is as good as mine.” Adam sighed. “I don’t know why, but ever since you’ve come to Beacon, she’s been distant. More so than usual.”

That didn’t make Seigyoku feel any better. Her eyebrows furrowing, she watched whatever was happening outside the window, her focus sharp and unwavering. “You think you can do me a favour?”

“Sure.”

“Whatever happens to me… Promise you’ll look out for her.” She asked quietly, crossing her arms over her chest. “Ruri had always been the one to try and do things herself. Being treated like a porcelain doll has left her desiring independence, but she has a habit of keeping her cards a bit too close to her chest.”

That was putting it mildly. 

“When I leave, just make sure she’s got someone to watch her back. I don’t wanna worry about how she’s doing for the rest of her life. It’s best that she has more than just me as her safety net.”

“I’ll be there for her.”

Slowly, she turned her head back to him, a tender smile on her face as she replied softly. “Thank you.”

That smile made Adam feel lighter than before. A soft, genuine gesture, she seemed less like a Huntress and more like an older sister, worried for her sibling, and it made Adam reflect more. Seigyoku was willing to move heaven and earth for Ruri. While Adam too wanted to give all he had for Blake, it was only really after she left him. If she never had, would he have gone to such extremes?

Part of him wanted to say he would’ve. His failures weighed on him heavily, and while grief was never an easy thing to shake off, he could at least grab that life line that Seigyoku and his friends had thrown him.

He could at least try to fight on. 

Elsewhere in the Academy, Zanthus and his friends had managed to find their way through the hallways and outside stone paths to Professor Melina’s classroom. All without running into Glynda.

Given her tendency to appear out of nowhere, it was certainly an achievement. 

“So lemme get this straight.” Eirian suddenly piped up. “You want me to ask Professor Melina to talk to Gustave and see if he’s the one spreading the rumours about Adam, so that we can stop going behind the professors’ backs… by going behind their backs?”

“Technically, we’re not going behind Professor Melina’s back, so it evens out.” Zanthus retorted back, resting a hand on the classroom’s door knob.

“I don’t know if they want to even talk to us. After the docks, Professor Melina had to do some serious recon to make sure the VPD didn’t prosecute the rest of us.” Eirian did have a point there. “But… if it means we get Gustave off Adam’s back, I’ll try.”

“I knew you would.” Zanthus smiled warmly, patting the top of Eirian’s head.

At least she seemed on board with the whole plan. All throughout the walk there, Ruri had been awfully quiet, more so than usual. In fact, she looked like she wanted to leave right there and then. 

“You coming in, Ruri?” A tap on her shoulder caught the girl’s attention. 

Startled, she focused completely on Zanthus, looking over his shoulder momentarily to the classroom just beyond the now opened door. Nervously, she nodded.

All together, the group entered the classroom. With no one there, it was eerily quiet, with just rows and rows of empty desks passing by as the trio walked down the walkway. Down by the teacher’s desk sat Melina, the professor shuffling through various sheets of paper with a bored expression on their face. 

When they were just a foot away from the desk itself, Eirian gathered the courage to speak up. “Um… Professor Melina?”

“Unless I’m experiencing auditory hallucinations again, I’m hearing a student who should be in her dorm right now.” Melina curtly replied, not even looking at the group as they continued. “Of course, that would be nonsense. The Eirian I know usually listens to her teachers, when the desire takes her.”

“I actually really need to talk to you… Don’t you have a staff room to work in?”

“When Oobleck and Stein stop trying to drag me in to validate their hatred of parking tickets, I’ll start working there.” Their turquoise eyes finally looked over at the students in front of them. “What is it you want from me?”

Nervously, Eirian glanced over at Zanthus, silently watching him urge her on with a toss of his head before inhaling deeply. “It’s about Adam.”

That piqued the professor’s interest. “Has he gotten into trouble again?” 

“No, no, he’s actually been pretty well behaved, but…” Eirian paused momentarily. “Some rumors started circling around Beacon. We know it’s Gustave doing it-”

“I’ll stop you right there.” A raised hand silenced the girl, her crimson eyes wide when Melina put their work down on the desk with a soft crinkling of paper. 

Hands clasped together, they leaned forward with an intense stare. “I’ve been a professor for a while, and a lawyer for far longer. If you’ve come here with just hearsay and nothing substantial, I’m afraid there’s very little I can do.”

“That’s why we came to you specifically.” Zanthus jumped in. “Gustave has had this thing out for Adam for months. Professor Oobleck will back us up, he was openly discriminatory to the Faunus and the White Fang in his lesson.”

“I am aware of that. Gustave was reprimanded for such behaviour and has been monitored since.”

“Well, if you forgive my tone, the monitoring hasn’t been enough.” Melina narrowed their eyes at Zanthus’ snappy remark. 

Thankfully, Eirian took over with a gentler tone. “We want to trust Headmaster Ozpin and the professors, but Gustave has already been caught doing this to Faunus and his punishment hasn’t deterred him. If anything, it’s just made him even more cruel. We came to you because you’re the only one who can get the truth out of him.”

“And how would I do that, precisely?”

“Your Semblance? You used it on me when you wanted to find out more about what Adam was doing.” 

Melina sighed at that. “That is true.”

Slowly, they got up from their seat, walking around the desk before leaning against it, their long fingers splayed out across the polished wood. 

“For legal reasons, I have to explain to you three that the use of my Semblance in that moment was justified due to the larger picture. Adam’s actions not only threatened himself but the security of the city itself.” They explained, their gaze drifting over the three students. “I am a sworn servant of Vale City. As much as I want to help you all, the prolonged use of my Semblance on a student is prohibited.”

The words hit them hard. Deflated, Eirian sadly stared at the ground, unable to think of what to say.

However, Melina was not finished. “However, if you wish to tell Gustave that I wish to see him, he may be convinced to speak the truth himself… without my prompting.”

“Really?!” Eirian’s enthusiastic yell was louder than she intended. 

“Yes. I promise, if it is true that Gustave has ignored his warning and continued to target Adam and you three because of your Faunus heritage, Headmaster Ozpin will dish out harsher punishments.”

If Eirian’s arm wasn’t stuck in a sling, she would’ve started waving them both in excitement. There was no time to wait. Zanthus could barely stumble after her as she dragged him away, only stopping when Melina called after them. “If the other professors try to say anything, you may tell them that I gave Eirian permission to be out of her dorm room.”

“Right, thank you so much!” She shouted from where she stood. 

Zanthus in tow, she ran out of the room, moving surprisingly fast for someone who had a broken arm. Still, one student remained behind. 

Standing there silently, Ruri slowly turned to Melina and bowed slightly, following after her friends without another word. Her pace was slow. Precise. A completely different tune to the frantic rushing that Eirian and Zanthus was doing. 

They were so far ahead of her. The feline Faunus could barely look over his shoulder to see where Ruri had vanished before they were outside, making a beeline for the only place anyone would ever see Gustave and his team. The Training Grounds. 

As the afternoon moved along, fewer students were anywhere near the vast fields and forests that were fenced off from the main Academy buildings. Its sheer size gave the trio some pause. How would they ever find the bully in this place?

“So big…” Eirian mumbled to herself.

From beside her, she heard Zanthus agree. “You said it.”

Suddenly, someone nudged past them. As they stood there startled, Ruri walked a few feet in front of them, before quickly kneeling down and pressing a hand against the trimmed grass. The silence was stifling. Only the wind blowing through, neither Zanthus nor Eirian uttered a word, too busy exchanging looks with each other and watching their silent teammate feeling the ground. 

Finally, she stood up and signed. “ _ I feel a group not far from here. Their vibrations are heavy, so it could be them _ .”

“I’m so glad we have you on our team.” Eirian grinned.

Surprisingly, that brought a faint smile to Ruri’s face. It was only momentarily, before she quickly went back to her stoic expression, turning away from the other two and walking off in the direction she pointed in. 

What was wrong with her?

Neither having the answer, all Zanthus and Eirian could do was just follow after her. 

Even with the uncertainty over whether the people Ruri felt were actually those they were looking for, when they noticed a small team training together in the distance, the sight of Gustave himself confirmed their suspicions. However, relief was the last word they would use to describe what they were feeling. 

As they got closer, Zanthus could feel his ears droop in preparation for the grief he was going to recieve. 

While he was meant to be training, what he really was doing was ignoring his team sitting on the grass and beating on some poor, unfortunate training dummy that were scattered all throughout the training grounds. The heavy axe in hand, he was clearly sweating, pale skin gleaming in the afternoon sun.

Surprisingly, Eirian took the forefront, leading her team to Gustave himself with little regard for the team behind him.

Only when they were a few feet from him did he pay any attention to the newcomers. “I thought you were supposed to be on dorm arrest.”

“I got permission from a professor to be out for now.” Eirian revealed sharply, placing her good hand on her hip with a narrowed glare. “We came here to talk to you.”

“Should I be scared by this new you? It’s a little hard when you barely come to my chin.” He retorted with a smug smile.

Flustered, Eirian huffed at that. “I wanna know something.”

The demanding tone in her voice didn’t go unnoticed. Pausing in his weapon practicing, Gustave fully turned to her, and there Zanthus realised just how  _ big  _ Gustave was. He towered over all of them, including Zanthus himself, and the way he approached Eirian had the teenage boy on edge. 

Quickly, he joined Eirian’s side, standing there while Ruri did the same on Eirian’s other side. The united front at least gave Gustave some pause.

“We heard what people have been saying around Beacon about Adam.” Eirian started. “All about the White Fang, and him being a traitor. Was it you who started it?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” The answer was quick and precise, like it was a robot replying and not an actual human being.

Yet that just made Eirian more frustrated. “Don’t lie! You’ve been horrible to Adam and to any Faunus you’ve come across since the day you came here! If it wasn’t you, who could it possibly be?”

“Maybe there wasn’t just one source. Your little friend had gotten himself in a bit of bother, and everyone is seeing him for the lying, crazy terrorist he truly is.” With each insult, Zanthus felt his temper growing evermore thinner. 

He was not the only one. Both Eirian and Ruri were angered, both glaring at the bully in front of them. 

Surprisingly, none of his team said anything during this. When Zanthus glanced around him, he could see them sitting there, watching the whole confrontation with awkward and downright uncomfortable expressions. There was none of that joy on their face that was on their leaders, so why were they not saying anything?

His question remained unsaid when Eirian shot back in a biting tone. “Adam’s none of those things, but I know that a heartless, dumb coward would grab the chance to drag everyone down to make himself feel bigger.”

That wiped the smile straight off Gustave’s face.

Blue eyes darkening, his whole demeanor changed in an instant. Something felt wrong. The anxiety in Zanthus’ stomach worsened, the possibility of a fight breaking out becoming more and more of a reality. 

Glaring holes into Eirian, even she was feeling that fear when Gustave snarled back. “You better watch who you’re speaking to, you filthy fucking  _ half breed. _ ”

Eirian’s face dropped at that. Resigned, she had nothing to retort to his insult, glaring at his chest with lips pulled into a thin line. It was going too far. 

“Professor Melina wants to speak to you. They sent us to come find where you were.” Zanthus quickly jumped in, trying his hardest not to blow up when he saw Eirian’s face.

Even with the slur thrown at her, she wasn’t horrified. Rather, it was bitter acceptance of it, like she had heard it a thousand times before. It still stung, but that sting had long eroded with the passage of time. 

Turning his attention to Zanthus, he looked the other student up and down, unamused with the intrusion as he retorted. “Why would they want me? I’ve done all the work that’s been assigned.”

“I don’t know. I didn’t ask.” There was no way he’d come if Zanthus was open about the real reason.

For a moment, it seemed like Gustave would reject him anyway. Yet, for some reason, he simply sighed in frustration and threw his weapon over to where his team were sitting, showing no sympathy when one flinched away from where it landed. “Mind that for me. This shouldn’t take too long.”

Barging past the trio, Zanthus took a moment to approach Eirian, placing a hand on her shoulder while muttering. “You alright?”

“Yeah. It’s not that bad.” She muttered, unable to meet his gaze. “He’s not the first person to call me that.”

Even though she tried to downplay the incident, the look on her face said it all. Beside her, Ruri stood there silently, watching her friend with softened eyes. However, when Zanthus tried to comfort her, Eirian pushed his hand away, turning away from her friends with a mumble. “I think I’ll head back to the dorms. Tell us what happened when you come back.”

Any attempt to bring her back was futile. Disappearing from their sight, all Zanthus and Ruri could do was stand there, but even then they couldn’t wait for long. 

Quickly, they hurried back to Melina’s classroom. By the time they got there, the professor was already talking to Gustave, who was standing in front of their desk with a tense aura practically radiating off him. 

When the two Faunus made their presences known, he shot glares at them, and it was right then that they knew. Melina had already made their intentions clear to the haughty teen. 

“Thank you for finding him for me.” Melina piped up gratefully, sparing a quick glance at Zanthus and Ruri before returning their full attention to the boy in trouble. “Now, I will only ask you once, Mr Rouge. Was it you who started this targeted campaign against Adam Taurus?”

“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Need I remind you what my Semblance is? I can tell when people are lying, Gustave, and you are not convincing me right now.” They finished that with an unimpressed look. 

For the first time they’ve known Gustave, he looked genuinely scared. Face drained of any colour, he could only stammer out his words, hardly looking like the confident teen that he flaunted around school. “I only said what was true! Adam was in the White Fang, it’s not my fault Ozpin let terrorists into the school and wondered why attacks have been increasing!”

“Terrorists? That’s a very poor choice of words to refer to your fellow classmates.”

“How’d we know they’re not?! Adam and his whole team were in on it, they knew just what he was getting up to! Give them enough time, they’d run off to join the White Fang too!” Gustave accused, pointing a finger at Zanthus and Ruri. 

Both glared at him, Zanthus himself turning to Melina with an angered grunt. “He called Eirian a half breed when we went to get him for you.”

That made Melina glare heavily at Gustave. Realising that he had just been sold out, he quickly tried to retract his statement. “That’s a damn lie!”

“I think someone is lying here, Gustave, but it’s not Zanthus.” They replied sharply. 

It was almost enough to make Zanthus pity the teenage boy. Watching him stumbling verbally, trying his best to try and worm his way out of the inevitable punishment, it was a far cry from the Gustave they used to know. 

Finally, Melina had enough of his inane prattling. “That’s enough. I believe we need to have a talk with the headmaster about this. If you would like to follow me, Gustave?”

There was no fight left in him. The truth crashed down on Gustave like a ton of bricks, his mouth open and yet no words coming out. As Melina stood up and moved past him, all he could do was glare at Zanthus and Ruri, pouring all his hatred and bitterness at them before he was forced to follow with Melina’s quick retort. “Now, if you will.”

Huge relief washed over the pair when the doors closed. Finally, all the strength that kept Zanthus standing tall vanished, leaving a visibly exhausted boy leaning forward with a deep sigh. 

From beside him, he felt Ruri place a hand on his shoulder. A tender gesture, he turned to her with a smile. “Let’s go and give Adam and Eirian the good news.”

The walk back was a short one. By the time they returned to the dorms, Adam and Eirian were already there, both sitting on Adam’s bed while Seigyoku busied herself with the numerous books that Ruri had meticulously arranged in her bookshelf between the beds. 

When Zanthus said the words, he could see the stress practically lift off of Adam’s shoulders. “Ozpin’s talking to him right now. It was Gustave.”

“ _ Even if it doesn’t stop the rumours, it’ll help in the long run that he’s been punished. _ ” Ruri added. “ _ Since he’s already had a warning, Ozpin will be far harsher with him this time. _ ”

“It could even be expulsion from Beacon. Ozpin’s been trying very hard to iron out Faunus racism in his Academies.” Seigyoku piped up from the background.

“I… I don’t know what to say.” Adam admitted, looking at all three of his teammates. “Thank you. For not giving up on me.”

“Of course. We’re a team. It’s what we do.” Zanthus pointed out.

From where Seigyoku sat, he could see that knowing look on her face. Ignoring it as best he could, all the confusing feelings were being pushed to the very back of his mind, left to sit in the darkness while he had more important things to worry about. Now was not the time for those kinds of thoughts. 

Still, the genuine smile on Adam’s face made his stomach flip and heart flutter ever so slightly. 

For the first time, it was like he was a different person. The anger and loner persona he wore like an armour cracked, and deep down, Zanthus could see just who Adam was. 

It was someone he could genuinely call a friend. 

No one came to their dorms that night to give them any news. Whether it was because the staff were still debating on what should actually happen to Gustave, or because they were saving it for the next day, no one could really tell. Either way, that night Zanthus went to bed without any worries.

The pain of Gustave’s retort to Eirian soured her mood for most of the evening, but nothing like a card game and some comforting hugs that didn’t soothe that burning pain in her chest. He couldn’t protect her from it all, but he could be there to make things better as much as he could. 

Yet the only one he couldn’t comfort was Ruri. It was a bother that stuck with Zanthus, his wonders being interrupted that morning when a knock on the door disturbed their morning routine of getting ready for the day. 

As Eirian stumbled around pulling a sweater over her head, Zanthus took it upon himself to answer the door himself. 

When it opened, he paused when he realised that it was none other than Headmaster Ozpin himself standing on the other end of the door. Towering over him, those golden eyes fixated on Zanthus, soft and gentle as his voice calmly asked. “May I come in?”

“Of course, sir.” Zanthus stammered, practically jumping out the way as he pulled the door further open. 

It looked like he wasn’t alone. When Ozpin stepped into the room, Seigyoku was just behind him, making a beeline for the desk as she made herself comfortable in the chair. With no words said, she watched as the team focused completely on Ozpin. 

He stood tall, that same cane he was seen carrying around firmly in his grip, leaning against it slightly. 

“I hope I didn’t disturb you four.” He confessed. 

“Nope! We were actually getting ready for a study group, since you know, we don’t have to pack for the Vytal Festival today.” Eirian babbled, still trying to pull her sweater down before Adam came to her rescue.

Even though she wasn’t saying it in an angry way, Ozpin was still subdued over the mention of their punishment. Still, he said nothing of it, instead focusing on why he came there in the first place. “I had talked with Mr Rouge yesterday afternoon, about his behaviour towards you and your team, Mr Taurus.”

Quickly, he turned to face Adam. Sitting on his bed with Eirian standing in front of him, he looked up at the older man, surprised to hear about the incident so soon. 

“I honestly thought you and the professors would keep this more quiet.” He pointed out. “You wouldn’t wanna tarnish Beacon’s reputation with humans’ anti-Faunus behaviour.”

“Adam, he’s helping us.” Zanthus sighed in the background.

“I don’t blame your anger towards how we’ve handled the situation.” Ozpin started. “I have tried to make Beacon a place for everyone to find a place here, but I know that people are rarely simple beings.”

“So… what happens now?” Eirian piped up, smoothing out her grey sweater out with a worried face. 

“I came to tell you that Gustave Rouge had been expelled from Beacon Academy. He was asked to pack his things and his parents were notified last night.” Ozpin revealed, watching each and every member of Team AZRE glance at each other in surprise. “Transport will come this afternoon to pick him up. I am sorry that both you and Eirian were called such awful things.”

“And his team? What happens to them?” Zanthus inquired suddenly. It was a spur of the moment question, the teenager unable to stop thinking about them since yesterday afternoon.

The question itself piqued Ozpin’s intrigue. Turning around to face Zanthus himself, he had an eyebrow raised, almost questioning the student’s motives before answering carefully. “They are allowed to continue studying here. It’ll be difficult adjusting without their leader, but it shouldn’t be long before we can find another teammate for them.”

“They aren’t being punished too?” Zanthus pushed.

“As they had not done any of the actions that Gustave himself had done, there was nothing to punish them for.” He elaborated. “But, I did explain to them the effect of being a bystander to one’s misdeeds. I hope that they learn from this incident, and realise what doing nothing can lead to in these kinds of situations.”

“On the plus side,” Seigyoku suddenly chimed in. “He’s leaving around the same time the ships taking the students to Haven are, so you guys can at least have a laugh at him for missing the tournament that he’s trained for these past five months.”

“Yes. Amusing.” Ozpin seemed anything but amused at that tidbit of information.

All of a sudden, Eirian piped up. “Professor Ozpin?” 

“Hmm?”

“About the Vytal Festival.” She rubbed the back of her head nervously. “I know you’re going with the students, but who’s staying behind with us?”

“Professor Goodwitch remains in Beacon every year to keep the Academy running while I’m gone. She’ll be the one who’ll handle your first Huntsmen-in-training missions here, and the one you all will go to if any problems should arise in my absence.”

Fingers pressed together, Eirian wasn’t finished with her questions. “Are… Are there any other students who have to stay behind too?”

“There have been other students who have to remain here, also. Rest assured that you four aren’t the only students who won’t be able to fight for Beacon in the upcoming Tournament.” He answered.

“Somehow that doesn’t make me feel any better.” Zanthus admitted.

“At least there’s always next year.” Adam added. 

“Precisely. Don’t let your past mistakes dampen your future, students. There is always a chance to right your wrongs.” With a bow of his head, Ozpin turned back towards the door. “I’ll leave you all alone to study in peace.”

And with that, the Headmaster disappeared from the room. 

Zanthus approached the door again, closing it as Seigyoku piped up. “I actually came with him for a reason.”

Turning around, he noticed her getting up from the chair she was sitting on, looking somewhat nervous about what was to come. Confused, he stayed silent, watching the Huntress approach Ruri with a saddened smile.

“I’m afraid this is it, Ruri.” She confessed quietly. “My ship’s coming any minute now to take me back to Haven.”

The realisation that this was it sat heavy on Ruri. She didn’t need to say anything, the look on her face said it all to those around her. Eyes falling down to the floor, she couldn’t stand to even look at Seigyoku anymore, making herself smaller with each passing second. 

Gently, Seigyoku lifted her sister’s chin, cupping her face with both hands as she comforted the distressed teen. “I’m not gonna be completely gone. You can always call me, and if you need me, I’ll come find you. No matter what.”

Without a word, Ruri threw herself into Seigyoku’s arms. 

Hands clenching at the black fabric of Seigyoku’s kimono shirt, the deaf girl buried her face in the soft fabric, hiding away the tears that threatened to fall. Even Seigyoku couldn’t keep the bright image up anymore, looking grim and solemn as all she could do was tenderly pat her sister on the top of her head 

Fingers stroking through the silky blue hair, she said nothing. She didn’t need to.

All the while, the rest of the team sat there in stunned silence. No one uttered a word. Rather, they gave their friend the time she needed to say goodbye, knowing that harsh sting of leaving a loved one’s side forever. 

But time waited for no one. Eventually, Seigyoku had to let Ruri go, backing away with wet eyes and a wide smile. “Don’t cry. I’ll always watch out for you. Never forget that.”

Ruri nodded slowly, but the smile she gave was less attempting to be happy and more a resigned one. She stood there silently, unmoving when Seigyoku turned to address the rest of the team. “Thanks for everything, guys. It’s been fun.”

“It was nice to meet you.” Eirian piped up, still managing to smile even with the dour mood dragging everyone down. 

From beside her, Adam added. “Good luck with the job.”

“Thanks.” Seigyoku grinned, flashing them a thumbs up. “Go and make us all proud here, guys.”

Together, the team beamed under her encouragement. Even the bitterness of her leaving did little to tear it away, but when they watched Seigyoku turn around and walk out the door, still holding up that thumb, it tasted bittersweet to say the least. 

There, she vanished. Gone from their room, the only remains of her left were the heartbroken Ruri and the faint smell of cherry blossom perfume in the air. 

Slowly, Eirian turned to Ruri, approaching her friend with a saddened smile. “Hey-”

A sudden smack of her hand stunned the dark skinned girl. Shocked, she stood there, staring at Ruri as the latter stood there hunched over. Purple eyes glistening with unshed tears, she noticed Zanthus approaching as he blurted out. “The hell was that for?”

“ _ This is all our fault! _ ” Ruri started to sign angrily. “ _ If we never went to Junior, if we stopped Adam from getting involved with criminals, we would’ve been on that ship to Haven! _ ”

“Wait. You’re seriously blaming us for what happened?” Adam piped up.

“ _ Yes. I’m blaming ALL of us. Because we refused to go to Ozpin or any of the professors, because we were too stubborn to admit we were in way over our heads! _ ” Hands shaking with rage, Ruri could barely get her point across when the tears finally fell. “ _ This was my last chance to go home to be with Seigyoku. I will NEVER get that chance again. She’s my sister, and because I didn’t do the right thing, I have to accept the punishment the Headmaster gave us. _ ”

Shoulders shook uncontrollably as Ruri stood there. Soft whimpers escaping her lips, her team all watched in shock while she wept.

“ _ She always put everything on hold for me. This was the one time I could make her proud, to look in the crowds and see her smiling because of me. I failed her and my family, and now Mother is so angry and disappointed in me. _ ” 

Zanthus didn’t know what to say. The cold shoulder Ruri had given the team had finally melted away, but he didn’t know if the truth made things any better.

Suddenly, someone moved from behind him. Looking to his side, he was surprised to see Adam having gotten up from his bed, crutch in hand, hobbling past both him and Eirian to where Ruri was standing. As he stopped in front of her, for a moment, Zanthus was worried that he was angry at her ranting, especially since he was still so raw over losing Blake.

But rather than snapping at her for her words or coldly giving her the shoulder, Adam did something unexpected. 

Hands rested on her shoulders. Balancing on his good leg, he kept his gaze steady, a deep frown on his face when Ruri met his stare. 

“I lost my sister too.” He started quietly. “You can still talk to Seigyoku, but I know that not having her there physically is still a harsh pain. Especially after having her there for so long.”

Shocked, Ruri did nothing as he finished. “I’m sorry for dragging you into my mess. All of you. And I’m sorry for taking away the last chance you had to be with your sister.”

Silence fell on the group. 

It was suffocating. A thick weight over all of them, they watched as Ruri thought deeply on Adam’s confession. Eyes darting around as she stared down at the floor, she wiped her eyes clean of tears and said her piece. “ _ I always have the fact that Seigyoku is still alive. You don’t even have that luxury. _ ”

Adam’s head bowed slightly at that.

“ _ Deep down, I know that what happened can’t be changed, and in a way, it was the only way you could think of to find Blake. _ ” She carried on, meeting Adam’s gaze with a more stern expression. “ _ I’m sorry for blaming you all for a decision that I too took part in. But… this incident will be the last. _ ”

“What’d you mean?” Zanthus asked worryingly.

“ _ The rules are the rules. I won’t let our team go down this path again. From now on, if you think about putting our reputation and places at Beacon in jeopardy again… I will stop it. _ ”

Her decision final, Ruri backed away from Adam once more, turning around and walking out the dorm with her back to them. As the door closed gently, the remaining three could only give stunned looks to each other, any words that could be said unable to even leave their lips. 

With the threat over them, they could only stay in that small dorm room, and watch as the students boarded the ship leaving for Haven. All without them. 


	22. On The Job

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While the Vytal Festival carries on, Team AZRE have to deal with getting jobs in Vale’s city for their internships. Yet any attempt to pick their spirits falls flat when they realise just who they were assigned to.

“I can’t believe it! Our first day as Huntsmen-in-Training!”

Eirian’s upbeat attitude was the only thing upbeat that morning. Woken up bright and early, the team were anything but excited, trudging behind Eirian with exhaustion weighing over them like a heavy blanket. 

No longer confined to their dorm room, both Adam and Eirian were free to wander around Beacon and the city, but for today, they were told to meet Glynda in her office. 

Scroll in hand, Adam leaned heavily against his crutch while scrolling through nonchalantly. In his inbox, he reread the message again.  _ My office at 9am. Do not be late. _

Straight to the point. Very like their deputy headmistress. 

As he shoved it back into his pocket, he overheard Zanthus yawn. “Couldn’t we have gotten our briefing a little bit later? Preferably in the afternoon?”

“Aren’t you even a little bit excited?” Eirian asked, looking over her shoulder with a dazzling smile. “I was up most of the night just thinking where we would be put! Oh, so many options!”

“Not as many as the older years would get.” Adam mumbled at the back of the group. 

Those crimson eyes focused on him. “Well, we’ll be those older years eventually. Besides, there’s still loads of choices in the city!”

Shrugging at that, he fell quiet once more, interested in watching the others that followed Eirian in front of him. While Zanthus was clearly still trying to shake off the grogginess of the morning, Ruri was at least handling the early start better than them. 

All dressed in their Huntsmen outfits, Ruri had meticulously put her outfit together, each item of clothing thoroughly cleaned and ironed with not a wrinkle in sight. Her hair, usually left down with straight, silky hair swaying freely, was now tied up in a bun that sat at the base of her neck. Even the way she walked was different. Straight, tall, she didn’t seem bothered by anyone around her anymore, instead focusing straight ahead. 

After Seigyoku left nearly two weeks ago, she’d been different. The argument they had that day had remained with Adam. 

It was difficult to get over. Ruri was one of the first people Adam had actually liked hanging around with. Even with his past behaviour towards Eirian, she didn’t leave him, even though people would not blame her for doing so. Rather, she tried to help as best she could. So now that she no longer had any trust in them, that she would refuse any help if she felt they would bring trouble, it hurt. 

None of them really talked about it. They didn’t know how to go about it. 

At least with the upcoming missions, it would give them all something to focus on. Perhaps time would help some of the painful scarring heal.

As they wandered through the empty hallways of Beacon Academy, Adam took a moment to appreciate just how quiet it was. Most of the students had gone to Haven, not expected to return until the end of October, so having nearly two months with the few groups that stayed behind was a strange experience. 

He wouldn’t lie, the thought of the Academy’s enemies attacking while most were gone had crossed his mind. Unvoiced, of course, but he knew that Ozpin was a cautious man. Glynda was by no means a pushover. If anything tried to attack, they would find reasonable resistance from the deputy headmistress.

Finally, they reached Glynda’s office. The door propped open, all four peered inside shyly, looking around the office nervously. From inside, Glynda was busy typing away on her computer, the quiet air only disturbed occasionally by the humming sound of her Semblance at work. 

“Hurry and come inside,” she suddenly piped up while still focusing on the monitor. “I can’t talk to you four while you’re in the hallway.”

Bashfully, Eirian was the first to go inside, rubbing the back of her neck while laughing nervously. As the rest of the team followed, the door suddenly slammed close behind them. Startled, Ruri practically jumped into Zanthus, the heavily built teen grunting but barely moving an inch from the force. 

From her office chair, Glynda started. “Now that you’re here, I’m sure you all are eager to find out where you’re going to be working these next two weeks?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Eirian replied with a nod.

“Well, I managed to find you four a spot in the city. Professor Melina will take you down and introduce you themselves.” She explained, her glasses reflecting the bright light emitting from the computer screen. “It was somewhat difficult. Your actions at Sasnak Docks seem to have had a bigger impact than we thought. Many of the institutions refused to house Team AZRE specifically.”

The air turned cold at that. Heavy, it sent goosebumps up Adam’s arms, his eye flickering over to his teammates to find them reacting similarly to the news. None of them were pleased. Eirian and Zanthus looked away, ashamed at the truth, while Ruri could only glare at the ground in frustration. 

Gods know what was running through her head. Seigyoku’s words from their talk echoed at the back of Adam’s mind. 

_ She has a habit of keeping her cards a bit too close to her chest. _

Suddenly, Zanthus spoke up. “So, where’d you put us?”

Before Glynda could respond, the door opened again, grabbing everyone’s attention as they turned around to see who the newcomer was. Standing there, a hand resting on the door knob, Melina stared at each and every student in front of them, those turquoise eyes alert as they pointed out.

“Ah, so you’ve debriefed them already.”

“So, where’re we going, exactly?” Eirian asked. 

With the team turning back around to Glynda, she finally turned away from her computer, sitting behind her desk with hands clasped in front of her. In that moment, the books and documents that were filing themselves away halted in midair. The hum died down completely. Everything was silent. 

“You four will be working with the VPD.”

“The Vale Police Department?!” Adam blurted out in shock. “So no one wants to work with us, except the people that actually hate us?”

“Actually, Bruno didn’t want you guys there, either.” Melina confessed behind them. “I convinced him to give you a chance, and since we want to improve relations between the VPD and Beacon Academy… It gives you four a chance to do some good there.”

Even Eirian herself was unconvinced. “Can’t we just go on border patrol for the two weeks?”

“No.” Glynda replied sternly. 

Deflated, she didn’t fight against their decision, but that didn’t mean that Adam was nearly as accepting of it. “And what if we refuse?”

“You fail. Simply as that.” Glynda retorted, narrowing her eyes as she stared straight at the horned teen. “I don’t think you realise just what predicament you four are in. This isn’t just going to stick around for your four years here at Beacon. This might not be on your records, but the employers here in Vale won’t forget what happened.”

“Either we work now to minimise the damage to your careers when you graduate, or we ignore it and let that distrust fester.” Melina joined in. 

Teeth gritted together, Adam standing there with an angered expression clear on his face. Yet he couldn’t argue. 

With no counter to their points, the professors took that as an acceptance of the situation. Her gaze softening ever so slightly, Glynda continued to explain the plan to her students. “It will be difficult when you’re there, but we are working hard to make sure your four have the best chance when you leave Beacon. For now, we just have to play by their rules.”

Grimly, Zanthus muttered from Adam’s side. “We understand.”

Nodding in agreement, Adam let the argument go. 

“Before I take you all down to the city, you were asked to personally write letters of apology to the Chief Commissioner for your actions.” Melina reminded. “I hope you have them on your person?”

“Right here.” Eirian piped up, turning to the back of her belt as she fished said letters from one of her pouches. 

Adam hoped it wasn’t one of the pouches that had clay in them. 

Approaching her, Melina took the letters from Eirian’s hand, giving them a quick look over before they went into the pocket of her blazer. “Excellent. Now, if you’d follow me.”

“Make sure the next team are outside when you leave.” Glynda demanded from behind them. 

With a grunt of affirmation, Melina opened the door once more and led the team out of Glynda’s office. Sure enough, as they walked away, the next team that was due in the office walked past them. A few stares caught Adam’s attention, especially when they focused on him. 

Quickly, the students turned away, their hushed voices feeling louder than normal as they wandered off. It took all he had, but he managed to ignore the burning anger in his gut. Gustave was gone, but the effects of his actions very much remained. 

As they walked behind the professor, none of them tried to strike up a conversation. Part of the reason was simply that they didn’t look like they were in the mood to talk. The other part was because the realisation that they would have to work with the VPD sat heavily over the four students. It was one of the last places they wanted to go. 

The whole walk to the ships waiting was quiet. As most of the students were gone, the ships were few and far between, no longer needing to transport a vast amount of people from on top of the cliff that Beacon sat upon down to the city below.

Eventually, they managed to catch one that would take them down. While the ship slowly descended, Adam watched the scene outside the window, overhearing Eirian finally strike a conversation with Melina. “So, what’re we gonna do when we get there?”

“Whatever jobs the Chief Commissioner has for you.” They answered. “Though I wouldn’t expect anything exciting. Your injuries still need time to heal fully, and they have been told to take that into consideration for you and Adam.”

“What about me and Ruri?” Zanthus inquired, gesturing to the girl beside him as she watched Melina intently. 

“True, neither of you have sustained serious injuries, but I still wouldn’t expect much there.” They brushed a stray mahogany coloured hair strand from in front of her face. “I recall the police workload to not be very interesting when I worked more closely with them. Add onto the fact that Bruno will want to keep you four under close supervision, expect a lot of desk duty.”

“Great.” Adam grumbled from his spot. 

Melina didn’t admonish him for his attitude. From the corner of his eye, he noticed them glancing over, their lips pulled into a thin line, and then turned back to Eirian while she continued needling them for any information they might’ve had. 

Soon enough, the ship landed on the ground gently. As the doors opened, Melina led the students off quickly, wasting no time in marching through the city while the team chased after her. It was difficult and painful for Adam to keep up. Each step felt like the muscles in his damaged leg were on fire. 

Thankfully, his team noticed his struggles. Eirian and Zanthus slowed down to his side, each one keeping close in case their leader fell, while Ruri stayed in front of them, leading them the way while keeping Melina in her sights. 

It wasn’t hard to miss the police station. A grand building with clean white brick walls and giant windows, the front entrance was impressive to look at as the roof that jutted out was held up by thick white pillars. On the front, anyone passing by could see  _ Vale Police Station  _ written in huge letters, being cleaned meticulously by a window cleaner while his partners got to work cleaning the countless windows. 

Heels clicked loudly as Melina climbed the giant staircase that led up to the doors. How she managed all those steps in those things was beyond Adam’s comprehension.

Thankfully, there was also a ramp for those who couldn’t get up the stairs, something which Adam quickly took advantage of as he hobbled up after the professor. Even though he was handling walking well, his team stuck to his side like superglue. The worry was comforting, if a bit infantilising. 

Once inside, the team were in awe at the interior of the building. Speckled marble floor, with flecks of dark green in the white surface, sparkled in the sunlight that beamed through the high windows. That same green coloured the walls, lined with dark wood trimmings that matched the interior of Ozpin’s office back in Beacon. 

Unlike their starstruck students, Melina simply walked past all the officers and visitors with an indifferent air to them. 

Managing to reach their side, Adam hobbled beside the professor, looking around the building before muttering quietly. “This is a pretty nice place to work in.”

“You get used to it after a while.” They confessed. “I always hated the green walls.”

“Was this where you used to work?”

Eyes glancing up at the student besides them, Melina nodded faintly. “Left years ago after Ozpin offered me a job at Beacon. Never really liked this place, anyway.”

The feeling was mutual. As Adam looked at passing people, they all seemed annoyed that Melina was there, but even more so their heated glares focused on the group of teenagers that followed after her like lost children. 

He wasn’t the only one to notice. From beside him, Zanthus moved closer, trying not to stare at anyone for too long as he watched those around him intently. There was very little trust between any of them anymore. 

As they reached the front desk, Melina stopped in their tracks. It was a massive thing, bigger than any of the desks that the students were used to in Beacon, where multiple monitors were plugged in and surrounding one receptionist. Fingers clacking against the keyboard echoing in the busy air, he didn’t pay attention to them until Melina asked. “Is the Chief Commissioner around here? The students working with him have arrived.”

“It’s hard to not notice you when you arrive anywhere, Cas.” Bruno’s voice suddenly called out. 

All eyes fell on him. Approaching them swiftly, that signature hat he was always carrying around was tucked under his arm. With each step he took, his polished black boots clicked on the marble floor, a heavy weight with a limp making his right step heavier than the left. 

Melina turned away from the receptionist, watching Bruno approach them with a small smirk. “You still like keeping an eye on me?”

“Someone has to. If you had your way, you’d cause me nothing but grief for the rest of our lives.”

“And you’d have it no other way.” They retorted in amusement. “You’re the one sending me requests to come back. Admit it, you miss us working together.”

Shockingly, Adam noticed that same smirk pulling at the corners of Bruno’s lip. 

With a shake of his head and a deep sigh, he admitted. “You were a damn good lawyer. Day you left, the criminals in our precinct held a party.”

“I'm sure your current DA is doing a good enough job in my stead.”

“The way she and Glynda go at each other, you’d think otherwise, and I wouldn’t blame you.” Bruno placed his hat on his head, hiding his pointed ears from sight. 

Chuckling softly, Melina turned to the side and gestured to the group of teenagers. “Well, I brought your apprentices for the two weeks. You can thank me later, I don’t do personal deliveries.”

Any friendly energy around him vanished in a second. Eyes narrowing, he all but glared at team AZRE, showing his displeasure so much that Adam was surprised he didn’t outright say he hated them. While Adam glared back, Zanthus looked away nervously, focusing instead on Eirian beside him. 

With a strained smile and a quiet, bashful laugh, she waved at the Chief Commissioner. “Nice place you got here.”

Ruri hid her face in the palm of her hand. Her exasperation was mostly shared with Bruno himself, neither amused with the flat welcome from the dark skinned girl. 

“Welcome, students.” He spoke dryly. “I’m happy you four were able to work here after all.”

Eirian perked up. “Really?”

“No.”

All four practically fell to the ground in shock at that. Recovering instantly, they listened as Melina revealed. “They brought something with them today. I suggest you give it a read.”

An eyebrow raised, Bruno turned his attention back to the lawyer, who fished the letters Adam and his team were told to write out of their blazer pocket. Handing them over, everyone stood there as he looked over each one quickly. 

Something changed. It was slight, a faint softening of the eyes, the furrowing of his eyebrows easing up, but it was more than enough for Adam to notice. Slowly, he felt himself opening up more. With his shoulders relaxing, he watched as Bruno tucked the letters into one of his blazer jackets. 

“I appreciate these.” He confessed, his voice a gentler tone compared to the usually gruff tone he spoke to them in. “Come. I’ll get you four settled in, and then we’ll discuss what you can do during your time here.”

“I’ll be heading off, then.” Melina piped up, taking a step away while pointing at the group. “Behave yourselves. I will find out otherwise.”

Eirian could only wave when they turned around and walked back out of the station. Adam could only watch them for a moment, before Bruno’s voice caught his attention again.

“Glynda couldn’t have given us you four at the worst time.”

“What’s happening?” Zanthus asked.

“What isn’t?” He shot back, leading them down one of the long hallways that spread all throughout the building. “Ignoring the little stunt at Sasnak Docks, we’ve been chasing after the culprits responsible for an attack at a bar near Mistral Town. Nineteen casualties, twelve close calls, one of the owner’s daughters is still recovering in hospital.”

“Still? But that attack happened three months ago.” Eirian gasped in horror. “Was it that bad?”

Adam stayed silent. Eyes focused on the ground, he grimly listened to the conversation at hand. That attack. Knowing the truth just made it even harder to bear, but knowing that he was angry at Junior for ratting him out to Iya and Banesaw, hearing just what they did made his stomach churn. 

Deep down, he couldn’t be angry. He could only be guilty. 

At the end of the hallway they were walking down, Bruno paused right in front of a closed door. Hand grabbing the door knob, he said nothing, a few moments passing by in silence before he just opened the door and led the team inside. 

He didn’t need to tell them. Just from the look on his face, Adam knew the horrible truth. 

Inside, they found an office that was far larger than the offices they were used to. Dozens of desks rowed up neatly, nearly every one was in use, each officer typing away at their computers, conversing with fellow coworkers, or busy dealing with whatever matter there was on the phone. With a brick wall decorating the room, along with three other pristine white ones, 

Eirian already focused on the numerous giant potted plants that decorated the office space. Grabbing one of the leaves, she was quickly picked up and moved away by Zanthus. “Don’t ruin their plants.”

“I just wanted to touch it.”

“We don’t wanna get even more on their bad side.” Adam joined in, watching the officers with an unwavering gaze. “I don’t think they’d appreciate you pruning their plants.”

“You ain’t wrong there.” She muttered back. 

Soon enough, they were led to a sectioned off room away from the other desks. With windows covered by rolled down blinds, the only way they could see into the room was through a frosted window in the door. On the glass, Adam read the letters printed on in black.  _ Commissioner’s Office. _

“This is my office.” Bruno explained, opening the door as he ushered the students inside. “You probably won’t need me much during your short time at the precinct, but if something should come up, knock on the door and I’ll tend to you if I can.”

“So, what exactly do  _ you  _ do here?” Zanthus asked curiously, his ears perking up when he noticed a small fish tank pushed against the furthest wall from the door. 

As he closed the door behind him, Bruno slowly walked over to his desk, taking a seat while taking his hat off and setting it down in front of him. 

“Well, I handle the more pressing matters of the city. I work with the mayor, Headmaster Ozpin, and the VPP.” 

“VPP?” Eirian piped up.

“ _ Vale Police Plaza. _ ” Ruri replied, turning to her friend as she signed. “The governing body that the VPD answer to. We learned it when we started our Vale assignment months ago.”

Eirian side eyed her, that same nervous smile returning as she tried to play off her blunder. “Right… Of course… I knew that.” 

Bruno watched this brief exchange with an unamused look on his face.

“Either way,” he carried on. “I’m not exactly on the field anymore. At least, not as much as I used to. I answer for the actions of my police officers, my lieutenants and my captain. If they step a toe outta line, it’s my head that the mayor would bite off.”

“Wait, then where’d the council come in?” Eirian looked more confused than ever.

Unsurprisingly, Zanthus, who had wandered off to mess with the fishes that swam around in Bruno’s fish tank, turned back around with an equally confused expression. “Wait, we have a council?”

“What has that lawyer been teaching you kids?” Bruno muttered to himself.

“ _ The council are at the top of the political food chain. They handle laws, kingdom wide crisis, and any form of foul play in the other departments. The mayor is just in charge of Vale City, and just like everyone else, they answer to the council. _ ” Ruri lectured. “ _ This is pretty simple stuff. Have you not been taking notes in Professor Melina’s class? _ ”

“I took notes. They’re just… small. Compact. Easy to memorise that way.”

“Yeah. Eirian and I share notes.” Zanthus jumped in.

Adam turned to his friend with a stunned expression. “You can’t just share notes.”

“Says you.”

“ _ Either way, _ ” Bruno barged into the conversation sternly. “I took the incentive and prepared what your four will be doing while working for us.”

“What is it? What is it?! Oh, is it chasing criminals? A drug bust? I’m great undercover!” Eirian babbled enthusiastically. “They’d never know I was there. I can be a criminal if you need a volunteer.”

“You’re not going on a drug bust.”

“... Can I at least go around in a patrol cruiser?”

“No.”

She deflated at that. 

Clearing his throat, he got straight to the point. “Since your injuries haven’t healed enough that I’m comfortable sending you out on the streets with supervising officers, both Ms Esna and Mr Taurus will be relegated to desk duty.”

“Desk duty?!” Eirian cried out, her one good arm pressed against her chest. “B-But that’s so  _ boring!  _ I wanna go after crooks and be in a car chase, oh, and rescue cute little cats from trees!”

“That’s the fire department.” Adam corrected.

“Regardless of what you want, I have to ensure that everyone under my care can do their jobs safely. It might be boring work, but if you think being a police officer is spending all day chasing criminals and getting into gunfights, you need to stop watching those cop shows all these kids are watching.” Bruno lectured. 

Even though it made perfect sense, Adam shared Eirian’s disappointment that they would be left behind. 

“Now for you two,” he turned to Zanthus and Ruri. “Glynda actually praised your professionalism and skills in tense situations. Taking her opinion into account, I trust you enough to send you out to learn what we do when out on patrol.”

“...They’re gonna get to ride in the patrol cruiser…” Eirian muttered to herself, jealousy dripping in every word.

Zanthus pretended he didn’t hear that as he asked the Chief Commissioner calmly. “Is there anything we should know before we head out?”

“Only to do what your supervisors tell you. For these next two weeks, I’m legally responsible for all four of you, so if you really want to repair the relations between Beacon and the VPD, now’s as good a place as any to start.” Bruno pointed out.

Suddenly, his ears perked up, turning to the door behind them. Any confusion the team felt vanished when they heard the door opening, turning around to see a woman standing there. 

Holding the door firmly, she stared at the group with a blank look. Dressed in a similar uniform to Bruno, albeit less fancier with the blazer unbuttoned and a white office shirt visible underneath, she presented herself as a complete professional. Silver hair pulled back into a tight ponytail, Adam found those stark onyx eyes intimidating, especially when they honed in on him. 

As soon as she noticed Adam, her unwelcoming demeanor worsened. Eyebrows furrowed and eyes narrowed, her whole body tensing up before Bruno piped up. “What is it?”

“I just wanted to tell you that we have another witness come in regarding the Xiong case.” She explained, never taking her eyes off the horned student. “I see Beacon’s dumped their kids on us.”

“Team AZRE, this here is Grigio Aggeggio. My captain.” Bruno introduced, gesturing to Grigio with a raised hand. “She will be the one that takes you on patrol. So, I would stay on her good side.”

“Good luck finding it.” Grigio shot back. 

This wasn’t good. At that moment, Eirian leaned over to Adam and whispered to him. “I don’t think she likes us that much.”

“Does anyone here?” He whispered back.

“Right, well, I can take them with me as I go back to Mistral Town. The witness has already given us names on those who were near the bar on the night it was attacked.” She offered.

“Good. Mr Nemeos, Miss Kashima?” Zanthus turned back around at the sound of his name, turning Ruri around with him as Bruno ordered them. “Stick to Captain Aggeggio’s side at all times. Don’t talk to the witnesses, and don’t tell anyone  _ anything  _ about this case.”

“Yessir.” Zanthus nodded in response, bowing slightly with Ruri before they turned back to follow after an annoyed Grigio. 

Before they completely left the room, however, Zanthus paused, turning to Eirian and Adam with a nervous smile. “Good luck here.”

“Thanks.” Adam didn’t mean for it to be quite so biting, but the prospect of working among police officers that despised you would put anyone in a bad mood.

Thankfully, Zanthus didn’t take it personally. With just a shrug of his shoulders, he exited the room with Ruri in tow, leaving the door open behind them. 

Adam stood there silently. With his back to Bruno, he didn’t turn to face him even when the older man piped up calmly. “Now, let’s get you two settled in before the day starts getting more hectic.”

Disappointed that she still wouldn’t be able to go out like her friends were, Eirian dragged her feet when she followed after Bruno, clearly voicing her displeasure without actually talking. Cane in hand, Adam hobbled after him.

While desk work was dull and tedious without a doubt, there was a bright side to it all. He didn’t have to stand and run around. Behind a desk offered to him, he sighed in relief at being able to sit down, leaning back in the surprisingly comfortable office chair while Eirian settled down beside him. 

Both sharing a desk that actually belonged to one of the officers themselves, Adam felt surprisingly small in it. Not physically. Rather, it was emotionally, like he was more like a child playing pretend than an actual adult learning a job at hand. 

“Some of the officers are working with the witness right now. Any information we can get will be recorded, but for now, all you two have to worry is answering the phone and getting the guys’ coffee orders right.” Bruno explained from beside them.

Something stuck in Adam’s mind. 

He didn’t know why, but before he could stop himself, he had already turned to the Chief Commissioner and blurted out his request. “Can we watch the questioning?”

“Why?” Bruno was already suspicious.

“We’re already helping in this case.” Eirian jumped in, siding with Adam at just the hint of something interesting happening. “We learn more here watching how the pros handle questioning, and how to get information the legal way.”

Even though he wasn’t entirely convinced by their reasons, there was some truth in their words. 

With a deep sigh, he said nothing. Rather, he gestured for them to follow, turning around and walking away before they could even get up from the chairs. Eirian quickly handed Adam his cane, making sure he was fine before rushing off to catch their supervisor. 

As best he could, Adam followed after them. 

It wasn’t a particularly long walk. A brief stroll down a hallway that connected to the main offices, and soon enough, Adam and Eirian found themselves standing in front of a giant window. 

Just like the shows, Adam thought to himself. Even though he could see the witness and another police officer sitting in the room in front of them, he knew that they were invisible to them. Still, it still made him nervous every time the woman turned to look over at the mirror. She couldn’t see him.

He repeated that. It didn’t help in ignoring the way her frightened eyes stared straight into his soul.

“Now, you have told us that you saw two people leaving the bar on the night that the attack happened, correct?” The police officer questioned.

“Yes.” The woman replied, her voice crackling over the intercoms that allowed those outside the room to listen in. “I live right across the street. It was storming heavily that night, so not many people heard the commotion, but my hearing is stronger than most.”

Looking closely, Adam noticed her ears were different. On the side of her head as opposed to the more common position on the top of one’s head, he spotted a pair of long bat ears poking out of her messy bun.

“Right. So tell me what you saw.”

“I couldn’t get a clear look from the angle my apartment window was at, but I saw a man and a woman leaving the club. The front door was already smashed in, and they were covered in blood.”

“And you could see that from an apartment window?”

“Yes.”

The officer wrote that down. “Do they have any identifying features about them? Any weird clothing? Were they human or Faunus?”

“They wore uniforms, and I know that at least the woman was a Faunus. She had huge wings on her back, and some weird metal around her legs.” Adam’s stomach flipped at the description. “I couldn’t tell what the man was.”

“You couldn’t get a look at his face?”

“No,” she shook her head. “He was wearing a Grimm mask.”

Eirian stiffened up at the mention of that. The two teenagers shared an uncomfortable exchange of looks, neither having to say a word to understand what the other was thinking. Even after weeks had passed since Iya and Banesaw attacked them, the very real fear that they would return stuck to them, and just listening to the woman talking about them left Adam sweating and Eirian’s good hand trembling by her side.

From beside them, they heard Bruno grumble. “We’ve had reports of White Fang members matching those descriptions for years.”

“That long?” Eirian replied in shock.

“Banesaw and Iya Dhawan. They’re some of the most notorious targets in the organisation, along with their leaders, Kaanchana Naga and Sienna Khan.” He revealed grimly. “Iya Dhawan is wanted for over thirty seven murders, and those are only the ones we’ve confirmed were her. Banesaw is wanted for property damage, grievous bodily harm and three murders of police officers in Haven.”

Adam stayed silent while he listed this off. However, his silence didn’t make him invisible, as Bruno quickly talked straight to him. “You knew them during your time in the White Fang.”

“...Yes.”

“Could you pin them at the scene of Xiong’s bar the night of the attack?”

“This sounds like an interrogation.” Adam shot back aggressively.

The tone didn’t sit well with Bruno. Hardened expression on his face, he stared Adam down, ears flat against his head as he pressed the issue. “These are international criminals, boy. You’ll be saving us a lot of time and helping many people if you share everything you know about them.”

Adam knew that. He knew that giving Banesaw and Iya up would save everyone a whole lot of trouble, and he wanted them personally to suffer after murdering Blake. But it wasn’t just them that would suffer.

The White Fang was so many things, but he couldn’t sever his bond to them so easily. When everyone abandoned him, they stayed, they gave him a home and a place to be. Most were just good people being dragged so far down that they couldn’t see the light anymore.

Slowly, he chose his words carefully. “I don’t know if they were there, sir. The only time I saw them in Vale was when they attacked me at Sasnak Docks.”

For a moment, he thought Bruno would push. 

Yet he didn’t. With a disappointed sigh, he turned back to the window, watching the questioning be brought to an end without another word. 

Adam did the same thing. Staring at his reflection in the window, he tried his best to ignore the looks Eirian snuck his way. He knew what she felt. She didn’t have that same bond holding her back, but the words were already out. There was no turning back from his actions. 

_ I’m sorry, Blake.  _ He thought solemnly to himself.

Eventually, the questioning ended, and with the witness escorted out of the building, Adam and Eirian were left at their desk. It was unbelievably boring. 

With so many listening ears around them, however, Eirian didn’t dare speak up her mind, only trying to focus on the work given to them while Adam stared off into the distance. Regardless of how hard they tried to hide it, he could see all the looks and glares the officers gave him and Eirian. 

And he knew she noticed them too. Eirian was just better at ignoring them, or at least pretending it didn’t bother her.

Adam wasn’t so skilled. Deep down, he knew that there was no trust among them, even with the few Faunus officers he had seen walking by. Whether it was because they too hated his affiliation to the White Fang, or because his actions made it so much more difficult for them personally, he could not say. 

By the time the afternoon came by and the missing members of the team returned, Adam knew the two weeks would be the longest two weeks he ever had. 


	23. The Choice To Redeem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Working for the VPD was not what Adam expected his path to lead him to, but as he finds out more about the stresses on Chief Commissioner Rex's shoulders, and the shoulders of many Faunus like him, he begins to finally realise that the war the White Fang is fighting is not one that’s right for all Faunus. Meanwhile, Kaanchana opens up to Banesaw about why exactly she believes that Adam will return home.

“So, is this what you guys do all day?” Zanthus piped up from the passenger’s seat. “Drive around, make sure everyone’s behaving, and then stop for a coffee?”

“We also have a doughnut if we wanna treat ourselves.” Grigio replied sarcastically.

It was the same thing these past two weeks. Now their last day on the job, the team were called to the precinct early in the morning, arriving there half asleep with Eirian’s dreads still stuck to her face. Five minutes of peeling them off was not something Zanthus thought he would be spending his time on. 

Luckily, he and Ruri were allowed to go out of the office for most of their time in the VPD. It wasn’t much, just driving around while watching the senior officer that was supervising them question suspicious people and break up quarrels in the street. 

Once he joined in stopping a bar fight with Grigio. Despite a glass bottle to the back of the head, the confrontation ended pretty smoothly.

But that didn’t help Grigio’s attitude. All this time, she kept Zanthus and Ruri at a distance, never letting them get closer or know what she was thinking. It was an enigma. Something that piqued Zanthus’ curiosity, yet made him feel so awkward whenever he was around her. Thankfully, there was some professionalism between them, so she wasn’t as biting as she could’ve been. 

Somehow, Ruri just ignored the biting remarks. Whenever their supervising captain would snap at them, Ruri simply turned away, able to let the words fall on deaf ears.

Given that Zanthus could hear a pin drop from fifty feet away, he wasn’t so lucky. 

Sitting in a takeaway car park that autumn morning, he left the conversation at that and just stared out the window. In the side mirror, he could see Ruri sitting behind him, only the grate between the front and the back seat preventing anyone from getting to the driver or their passenger. 

She seemed distracted. Purple eyes staring off into the distance, she paid no attention to their brief conversation, and honestly Zanthus didn’t blame her. Over this time working for the VPD, she’d been so quiet, wanting to just focus on her work rather than talk to her team.

He worried. He couldn’t help it, unable to shake the argument that happened after Seigyoku left, but in all honesty, he didn’t know what he could do to help. None of them did. 

All of a sudden, he heard Grigio pipe up. “Your friend doesn’t talk much.”

“She’s deaf, so…”

“I know that. The Chief Commissioner debriefed me on all the things I needed to know about your team before Beacon dumped you on us.” She was quick to correct him. “Deaf people can still talk, or is she mute too?”

“I… don’t know, actually. I just assumed she was.”

The captain glanced up at the rear view mirror, taking a sip of her coffee slowly. “It’s not so much of a big deal now. With all these aids and prosthetics that Atlas had engineered, people who suffered from disabilities can now have the option to do what they want. How come she doesn’t get a hearing aid or something?”

Zanthus stayed quiet at that. 

Noticing that, she lowered the cup from her lip, glancing over at Zanthus himself before sighing. “None of my business, anyway. Let’s just focus on the mess those White Fang members made.”

The way she practically snarled the words White Fang gave Zanthus pause. Looking away from the window, he stayed quiet while she carried on complaining.

“Two weeks and we’ve hit another fucking dead end. They’ve vanished, and it looks like no one wants to talk, not even your friend.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He couldn’t stop himself from blurting out.

“It means that Adam has inside knowledge of what happened. He has previous connections, and chances are he knows things that we could never find out.” She snapped back. “After all the trouble he and those people made for us, for the Chief… Forgive me if I’m not exactly thrilled he’s still here.”

“Adam didn’t know anything about that attack on Junior’s bar. That’s all on the White Fang.” Zanthus pointed out curtly.

“Well he could’ve warned us that White Fang were chasing after him before running to the city in the first place.” She growled out, her patience waning with each passing second. “But whatever, Huntsmen can run around breaking every law for the greater good and we’re left to pick up the pieces.”

“If you didn’t like Huntsmen, why accept us on your patrols?”

Slowly, she turned her head to stare at him intently. The way those dark eyes narrowed gave him pause, his stomach twisting painfully as the silence just worsened that anxiety deep inside him. 

“Because Melina vouched for you four, and Bruno gave the okay. I don’t care what you guys do, I ain’t gonna trust you, but I trust them. If they wanna throw their lot in for you, then fine.” She downed the rest of her coffee before shoving the empty cup in the cup holder between them. “But don’t think that giving just two measly weeks of your time to help will absolve you of what Beacon has done. Soon as this ends, the Academy is gonna go back to letting their students run riot, and Bruno’s gonna have to fix it all again.”

“We’re not gonna betray the people’s trust in us again.” Zanthus insisted. 

A brief moment of silence. There, the car engine hummed to life, the vehicle lurching forward as Grigio drove it through the car park they were sitting in. Over the quiet sounds of the working car, he overheard her mutter back. “That’s what they always say.”

It left him stunned. No words came to mind, nothing that he could say in response to that vulnerable moment of distrust, so instead he gave up trying. There was no way he could fix so much animosity between Beacon and the VPD.

As they drove along, he watched the pedestrians pass by, their lives moving along while they paid no attention to the visibly marked police car driving by. The silence in the car was deafening. Heavy, it sat over him like a weighted blanket, Zanthus finding himself looking over at Grigio occasionally, wondering what to do before turning away and focusing on something else.

All the time, Ruri sat behind them silently. She didn’t seem bothered, or at least let that show on her face, but he knew she must’ve noticed them speaking. From where she sat, there was no way she could see their lips, but the way her eyebrows furrowed and her arms crossed over her chest,  _ something  _ was bothering her. 

Slowly, the car came to a stop at the traffic lights. Cars surrounded them on all sides. Rush hour, with everyone trying to get to work or into the inner cities where a majority of the stores were. 

Grigio grunted in frustration, glaring at the traffic lights that just refused to change. Her finger tapped against the wheel impatiently. Ears swivelling towards the sound, Zanthus ignored it, watching the traffic lights too with boredom washing over him. 

It didn’t last long when the tapping stopped. 

As he turned around to see what had happened, he noticed Grigio staring out of her door window, focusing on something down an alleyway that was visible from where they had stopped. Over the bonnet of the car next to them, Zanthus could see clearly what she noticed.

A couple of men stood there. Both clearly Faunus, one seemed nervous about something, always looking around while the other was stone cold, leaning against the alleyway while they talked about something.

“What’s wrong?” Zanthus piped up.

“I know that guy,” Grigio revealed. “He’s been connected to numerous riots that happened across the city, during protests for Faunus rights.”

“So there’s nothing actually pinning him to the crimes?”

“Not the riots, but he matches the description of one of the attackers on the Xiong’s bar three months ago.” Zanthus felt his stomach flip at that. “I’mma bring him in.”

“Wait, what if he’s not the one?”

Pausing, her hand on the door’s handle, she turned back to Zanthus with a sharp voice. “Then we’ll clear another suspect off the list. Stay in the car.”

Something didn’t sit right. There was no time to argue, as Grigio was already out the car and approaching the men before Zanthus could even think up a response. 

Cursing to himself, he quickly undid his seatbelt, jumping out from his side of the car and opening the door to let Ruri out, not even waiting for his friend before chasing after the police officer. 

When he entered the alleyway, he found Grigio walking towards the men. Both of them noticed her immediately, tensing up as she got closer. “I need to talk to you, si-”

Before she could even finish her sentence, the Faunus in question bolted off, leaving his friend behind. Startled, Grigio tried to run after him, shouting loudly. “Police, stop!”

Zanthus didn’t wait. All on their own, his feet started moving, the teenager taking off after the Faunus as he barged past Grigio. Even with the blood pumping in his ears, the loud thudding of his sandals against the concrete floor, he could hear his supervisor call after him.

“Shit! Zanthus, wait!”

He didn’t. 

He didn’t know why. Perhaps the need to help was just too great, the idea that catching a suspect would somehow make up for letting Banesaw get away, but irregardless, he didn’t stop running.

It wasn’t too hard to catch up with the suspect. Zanthus had improved over the months in Glynda’s physical exams, and with proper food at regular times, he was regaining the muscle mass that he had lost living on the road since Mistral. 

Dashing around the corner, he leaned backwards when something came straight for him. Without thinking, his hands gripped the arm, twisting around so he could feel the person pressing up against his back, and with a yell, slammed the body into the floor.

The person yelped in pain. A clatter of something metal hit the ground, and Zanthus found himself on top of the man he was chasing, pulling the man’s arm around his back and pinning it there, keeping him down as he glanced over at what exactly the Faunus had dropped. 

There on the ground, he could see a knife. The rusted blade shone dully in the sunlight. 

Red like blood. For a moment, Zanthus could feel the blade on him, the burning pain and the crippling infection that could’ve killed him. It stank. It made him retch, unable to shake those feelings loose.

People loudly cheering in his head. The feeling of bone snapping in his hands, those chilling cries of pain as he looked down and saw his handiwork. 

Suddenly, he heard a feminine voice shout. “That’s enough, Zanthus!”

Reality hit him hard.

Eyes blinked, the teen breathing heavily as he looked up, seeing Grigio having made it to where he caught the suspect. And she didn’t look happy.

Angered, she all but pulled Zanthus off, shoving him out of the way while the Faunus complained loudly. “Hey, I ain’t done nothing!”

“Then why did you run?” She shot back, putting him in cuffs before hauling the man back to his feet. “We can talk about this back at the precinct. I’ve got some questions that I’m sure you don’t mind answering.”

“Goddamn, you can’t let me just be in peace! You guys brought me in seven months ago for that arson attack on the old laundrette, and I didn’t do that either!” He continued to ramble, struggling against his cuffs while Grigio led him back to the car.

When they approached the abandoned police cruiser, Ruri had been waiting. As soon as she saw Zanthus, she rushed to him, clearly worried about her friend while he gently held her by her shoulders. “I’m alright.”

“You almost weren't.” Grigio scolded, shoving the man in the back of the car before slamming the door shut. 

As she turned around, Zanthus could see the rage in her eyes, shrinking in on himself as his ears fell flat against his head. Ruri seemed just as nervous, watching the officer closely while she carried on lecturing them.

“I told you two to stay in the car! What would’ve happened if you got hurt, or you injured the suspect while apprehending him!” When he went to defend himself, she cut him off with a sharp snap. “Not everyone has Aura! You can’t run around like you would fighting Grimm, there’s a level of caution you have to take in this line of work!”

“I caught the guy, didn’t I? I was only trying to help!”

“Yeah, and this time you got off lucky! If something went wrong, we would have to fix it  _ again!  _ Just like back at Sasnak Docks!” She approached him, jabbing a finger against Zanthus’ chestplate. “I’m not gonna let Ozpin’s brats ruin another one of our cases or get themselves killed, got it?”

The touch had him scowling deeply. 

With a deep frown, she turned back around and wrenched the driver’s door open. Sitting down, she turned to the students, barking at them. “There’s only room for one of youse. Unless you wanna walk to the station instead, it’s only a fifteen walk from here.”

“We’re fine. Thanks.” He shot back bitterly.

No other response, Grigio slammed the door shut and drove off. Wheels screeched against the tarmac. A grating sound, Zanthus winced as it drove down the street, waiting until it turned around a corner before shouting after it sarcastically. “You’re welcome!”

There, they stood silently in the street. Civilians gathered around, some muttering to each other while confused about what just happened, only knowing that two Faunus were arguing with a police officer and were now left on the side of the road. 

Ruri stayed close to him. Glancing up, the two shared a look, Ruri shaking her head at him with a disapproving stare. 

Annoyed, he scolded her. “Don’t gimme that look, the guy woulda gotten away if I didn’t step in.”

“ _ What part of angering the VPD is supposed to help us and Beacon rebuild bridges? _ ”

“Oh, so I shoulda just stayed in the car like a good student?” She nodded at that. “You know, this ain’t fun when even you scold me.”

“ _ We can’t keep going against what we’re told, Zanthus. I thought we were clear on that.” _

“So, what? We follow the rules even when they’re detrimental to us and our jobs?”

She didn’t answer that. 

Seeing her keep quiet, looking down at the ground with that same thoughtful look, Zanthus felt his annoyance at the situation slip away. With a sigh, he just patted Ruri on the shoulder and, when she looked back up at him, muttered softly. “Come on, let’s get back to the station.”

With her by his side, they started the short walk back to the police station. All that time, he thought deeply about the conversations and the incident, unable to shake off the things that Grigio let past her hardened shell. 

Not only that, but the Faunus suspect too. How much was actually pinned to him, and how much was because of speculation. The attack on Junior’s bar was horrible, but so many people, including the news, were putting it up to increased gang wars and the activity of big name criminals like Torchwick. 

That man didn’t seem like a big shot villain, or even the type to inflict such a devastating attack on a bar run by Junior and all his henchmen, including putting one of his daughters in intensive care.

Either way, Adam would know what to do when he got there. All he could hope was that his friend was alright on desk duty.

…

…..

……..

Adam hated desk duty. 

He never thought he would find something so tedious, boring and aggravating all at the same time. 

While Eirian occupied herself with chatting away to the police officers, even managing to sway a few over to liking her personally, he kept to his desk and shuffled through reports, hoping that no one would try and get him to do another coffee run again. 

After he dumped a tray of boiling hot coffee on one of the officers, he had been stuck strictly on filing papers and listening to Eirian’s  _ many  _ wild stories from her childhood. During those two weeks, everyone in the station knew her father, her home, her favourite food, which were papayas, and even that one stray cat that she always fed salmon on Fridays back in Vikela.

His name was Oreo. 

As he sat there in the office chair, he felt his leg start to stiffen up from being still for too long, groaning in pain to himself while tenderly rubbing the injured limb. It would still be a while before it fully healed. Even then, what the doctors told him stick in the teenager’s mind.

_ With physiotherapy and surgery, your leg should recover from the injury, but there’ll always be chronic pain and slight weakness. _

He wished he never went to the docks that night. Glancing over at Eirian, he couldn’t stop staring at her arm stuck in that cast.

Even though she tried to play it off, knowing that she would be able to freely use it in a couple of weeks, he couldn’t help but wish that she just stayed in Beacon that night. That she never followed after him. Yet she did, and like Eirian said, it was useless dwelling on something you can’t change. 

He just wished he could do it as easily as her. 

Tapping a bunch of papers together, he filed them away in a small filing cabinet underneath his desk, listening as Eirian chattered away. “One time, my dad and his team in Haven met the future General Ironwood when he was just a soldier, and as a prank, they got superglue and put in on the door knob just before Ironwood came into the hallway.”

All around her, police officers were listening intently, captivated by the story she was telling.

“And get this, it’s a funny story, my dad’s friend from another team was with the general that day. He was from Beacon, you know, they were in Haven for the Vytal Tournament, and so he grabbed the doorknob first.” She babbled away. “It was funny at first, and then it got less funny when he ripped the skin off his hand trying to let go.”

By the hisses of pain and sympathy from the officers, they shared that poor man’s pain.

“It turns out superglue really isn’t nice on your skin when you grip it hard, but after a trip to the hospital, he was fine!” She waved it off. 

The other officers didn’t seem so sure. Adam wasn’t paying much attention to what they were saying, however, focusing on a new voice calling out. “Telling them stories again, Eirian?”

Both students turned around, Eirian in particular pleased to see Zanthus and Ruri entering the office. With a grin, she bolted from her seat, stopping right in front of them as she interrogated them. 

“I saw Grigio bring in an actual suspect! Oh, what was it like? Was there a chase? Did you guys have to do a takedown, I know you’re really good at them, Zanthus! I wish I was there, I wanna chase suspects too!”

“Slow down there.” He piped up calmly, picking the overexcited Eirian up until she stopped vibrating with joy. “It was just a small chase. Not even that exciting. Besides, I kinda got into trouble anyway for trying to help.”

“Trouble? Was it serious?” Adam asked worryingly.

“Not super serious. Grigio’s pissed at me, but she always is.” He seemed annoyed with the missing officer. “Either way, I was hoping to talk to you about something when we finish up today.”

“Sure.” Adam shrugged, though the idea of something important to talk about left him worried. “Is it bad?”

“I don’t know. It’s about Junior’s club.”

That filled Adam with even more dread. Without even meaning to, he blurted out. “What about him?”

“It’s just that Grigio brought in a Faunus as a suspect for the attack, but I don’t think it was him. I don’t know how to explain it, and I can’t really go and tell them that it’s not the guy based on just a hunch.” Zanthus explained, crossing his arms. “I wanted to hash it out with you first. Did you see the guy before they put him in interrogation?”

“Yeah, we got a pretty good look.” Adam nodded.

From beside him, Eirian added in a hushed voice. “He was not very happy.”

“Yeah, I guess I’m sorta to blame for that. I did tackle the poor guy.”

“So, what, they think he attacked Junior’s club because he’s a Faunus?” Adam couldn’t stop the anger from seeping in his words.

Zanthus picked up on that. “Grigio said that he matched the description of one of the people who attacked the bar, and that he was already a suspect for multiple arson attacks during Faunus protests.”

That was not good. Adam couldn’t let another Faunus go down for that, but his secrets weighed down on him. Confusion and anger blinded him, his words slipping through his lips before he could even stop it. “It’s not him.”

“How’d you know that?”

“Adam…” Eirian piped up nervously.

“I just… I just know it’s not him.” Zanthus wasn’t convinced. Staring at Adam, he could feel those slit pupils burning into his soul, knowing that he couldn’t keep it from Zanthus forever. He trusted him enough to at least know.

With a groan, he glanced around before pulling Zanthus back into the hallway, followed by the rest of his team. 

All four standing there, he kept his voice low as he confessed. “I know who did the attack and it’s not him.”

Zanthus didn’t reply. At first, he was silent, staring at Adam with a thoughtful look on his face. By soon, he muttered back quietly. “It was the White Fang, wasn’t it? That’s why you’re so quiet about who really did it.”

“... Yes. It was them.” Adam affirmed. “I lied to the chief, saying I didn’t know. But now there’s someone at risk of going down for something they didn’t do, another Faunus? I gotta do something to protect them.”

“What if they’re still connected to the arson attacks? Are you gonna protect them from that too?”

“I don’t know.” Adam felt the weight lift with his honesty. “All I know is that I can’t let him take the blame for Iya and Banesaw. Or… the White Fang.”

“Are you sure about this? I know that the White Fang are your family, but-”

“They  _ were  _ my family. Even now I was still protecting them but... after Blake, after this? I just… can’t anymore.” Adam sighed deeply. “I’ll go and talk to the Chief, be honest. It might blow back in my face, though.”

“We’ll be there for you if it does.” Eirian offered. 

As soon as she said that, the other two joined in to affirm it, Ruri nodding in agreement while Zanthus added. “I think this is the right choice. Having your statement will help protect people from being falsely accused too.”

Although his friends stood behind him, that same fear came back. It gripped him tightly. A tight noose around his neck, stealing Adam’s breath away as all he could do was gulp and nod quickly, turning around to go to Bruno’s office.

The short walk across the office felt like a long trek. 

Even though the officers were busy with their every day work, typing away at their desks or storming through like they were on a mission, it felt like all eyes were on him. It unnerved Adam. So many people around him, he had to remind himself that he wasn’t a suspect or that he did anything illegal.

…Lately.

Stopping in front of the office door, he paused for a moment. His hand was just an inch or so from the door, ready to knock, but something stopped him. A deep anxiety that tore at his stomach. 

With a deep breath, he knocked twice.

Silence. For a moment, he wondered if Bruno was busy, deciding on whether to go and find Grigio or try again. Yet before he could move, a gruff voice called out.

“Come in.”

The door opened slowly, a long drawn out squeak echoing in the still air as Adam winced to himself. From inside, he could see Bruno sitting behind his desk, shifting through piles of paperwork while a comically small pair of reading glasses sat on the bridge of his nose.

Neither said anything. Standing by the door, Adam let it slowly close behind him, tugging at the fabric of his long glove. 

With small eyes peeking up at him, Bruno waited a few more seconds for Adam to speak, only to pipe up when the teenager remained silent. “Is there something you need?”

“I…. um…” He trailed off, trying to figure out what to say. “I need to tell you something. About the Xiong case?”

“Has new evidence come up?”

“Well, it’s not exactly new.”

That caught Bruno’s attention. Finally, he put his work to one side, giving Adam his full attention as the latter sighed deeply. “I need to tell you… The man that was brought in just then wasn’t the man who attacked Junior.”

“And how could you know that?”

“Because I lied when you asked me. The first day we were here, I said that I didn’t know Iya and Banesaw were in Beacon until they attacked me.” His heart hammered away as he carried on slowly. “I never knew they were there, but that night at the docks… Iya told me what happened. You were right. The White Fang were involved with the attack, though not on Kaanchana’s orders.”

A deep sigh set Adam on edge. 

Bruno gently pulled his reading glasses off his face, setting them in a brown glasses case that rested on his desk before putting his hands together. Even sitting down, he was an imposing man, the way his eyes burned into Adam leaving him on edge. 

Yet, rather than shouting, Bruno calmly replied. “I’m disappointed that you lied to me again, Adam.”

“I know. I just, I didn’t want someone going down for a crime he didn’t commit just because he was a Faunus.”

Bruno’s ears perked up at that. “You think Grigio targeted that man because of who he is.”

It wasn’t a question. It was a statement, and by the sounds of it, Bruno already knew the answer.

“I mean, didn’t she? The only leads she had were he  _ could’ve  _ been responsible for those arson attacks and he  _ looked  _ like Banesaw.” Adam shot back, leaning against his crutch with a sour expression.

“...You’re not the first one to make those connections here.” Bruno sighed.

With a hand running over his face, Adam could see the exhaustion as clear as day. The man looked like he was old and weathered, even though he wasn’t that old, with his shoulders sagging under the weight he carried every day.

“I trust my officers to do their jobs without prejudice, but even in Vale, it’s not always that easy.” He confessed, turning around to look out his office window. “People make their own judgements, and it’s not always easy to change that. Even when the people they discriminate against are supposed to have the freedom to live as they want.”

“Just because you got a promotion doesn’t mean Vale is suddenly a utopia for the Faunus.” Adam pointed out.

“You’re right, but it’s a step in the right direction.” Bruno turned his head to look Adam in the eyes. “We’re ahead of Mistral and Atlas in terms of better treatment for our people, even if the journey isn’t over yet. I intend to use my time here to show that not all Faunus are alike, that we can be trusted to uphold and respect the laws of the kingdoms.”

“Even when the law doesn’t respect you back.” Adam’s bitterness came out in his words. 

Turning his body away, he stood there, glaring at the floor while that anger boiled deep inside him. Harshly, he opened up to the chief. “People ran to the White Fang in the first place because the law didn’t protect them. They protect the Faunus, give us a chance when no one else does, and now it feels like the few who’ve gone too far have ruined it for everyone.”

“You’ll find that with groups, Adam.” Bruno muttered. “Eventually, people make bad choices. Ruin it for those who just want equality.”

“So… what happens now? Will you decide that the whole group is null just on the actions of a few bad apples?”

“A few bad apples that the entire group refuses to throw out.” 

From behind him, Adam heard the office chair squeaking, turning his head to see Bruno getting out from behind his desk and approaching the teenager slowly. As he turned around, he stared up at the chief. 

“You still think they fight for all Faunus?” He asked sternly. “For the Faunus who try to work peacefully with the industries they deem oppressive, preferring to use violence to undermine our progress? All the work I’ve done here, all the years I have given, I won’t let it be in vain.”

“Kaanchana wants to help. I believe she does.” Adam admitted with a frown. “She knows what it’s like to claw your way to the top, when everything is set against you, but after working with her for so long, what I came to see of her… I don’t know.”

“You worked with her personally?”

“She cares about me. Even after I abandoned her, abandoned the White Fang, she stopped Banesaw and Iya from killing me.” That brief moment of happiness vanished when Adam remembered the crucial exception. “But she didn’t save Blake. How… How do I stop wishing she was with me?”

“This is what the White Fang does, Adam. They take people with nothing to live for and give them a cause, but not a life. A child from the mines needing a family? You were just a pawn to them.”

“No, they were family. I felt the same way, and even now when I’ve left them, I know that the White Fang can do so much more than they are now.”

“You sound just like Ozpin.” The venomous way Bruno spat Ozpin’s name set Adam on edge once more. 

Turning around, his back to Adam again, Bruno approached his window and stared out of it, able to see the cliff where Beacon sat from where the police station was situated in the city. 

“Always trying to see good in those who don’t deserve it.” Ears fell flat against his head, Bruno’s body stiffening up while he continued his rant. “He never considers that sometimes, bad people are just bad. That they’re not always misunderstood, that they won’t always accept a path of redemption just because it was offered. That’s what his Academies are about. Redemption.”

With a bitter chuckle, he finished with a grumble. “What a load of shit.”

“I think some people can change, at least if given the chance.”

“Oh, yeah? Who?”

A short pause, and Adam responded softly. “I could.”

That silenced the older man. Even with his back to Adam, he could see Bruno’s reflection in the window, watching his eyes dart around in thought while his lips pressed together tightly. 

The silence grew heavy, weighing over those in the room as they stood there. For a moment, Adam thought about leaving the conversation there, eyeing up the door before Bruno’s voice snapped his attention back to him. “I suppose you’re right. Maybe Ozpin could be, too.”

A surprised expression was clear on Adam’s face. For all he knew, Bruno would’ve rejected any notion that those in the White Fang, that those who Ozpin had put his trust in, could ever change. Yet he accepted Adam’s answer with surprising maturity, staring off into the distance deep in thought. 

“Thank you for being honest with me, Adam.” He confessed, looking over his shoulder at the student. “I’ll tell Grigio to drop any charge regarding the Xiong case and look further into your statement against Banesaw and Iya. You may go now.”

“I… Thanks, for the work offer here. It’s been an experience.”

There, he could see the small formings of a smile on Bruno’s lips. “I’ll talk to Glynda once today is over. After the work you and your team have put in to fix what had happened, I’ll make sure your options for next year’s mission will be more diverse.”

“Thank you, sir.”

With a brief bow, Adam took his leave and left the office quickly. 

As soon as he was out of the room, a wave of relief washed over him, a deep sigh escaping his lips with his head swimming. All the fear and anxiety swirling around vanished, leaving him standing there leaning against the wall. 

It wasn’t for long, though. 

Suddenly, Eirian appeared in front of him, staring up at her leader while rambling. “Well, how’d it go? Was he mad? I didn’t hear shouting, so it went better than we thought, right?”

“Are you alright?” Zanthus asked from behind the panicked girl.

Slowly, Adam looked up at them. All three stood there, concern clear on their faces, and for once, he only smiled faintly.

“Yeah,” he replied softly. “Everything’s fine.”

For the rest of that day, the team finished up what little tasks they were given. As the day came to an end and they said goodbye to Bruno, and some of the friends that Eirian had made, Adam thought back on the conversation before. About himself, about Ozpin, and about the White Fang.

But little did he know that deep in the forests of Vale, another was thinking of him too.

As the White Fang members wandered around camp, getting ready to settle down for the night, Kaanchana stayed in her tent. She hadn’t left in days. There was too much work to do, wrongs to right, and that day she had been surprised by a very irate video call from Sienna.

Even after being separated for over a year, Sienna hadn’t changed from the last time Kaanchana met her. 

A fierce woman with dark mahogany skin, bare shoulders decorated with tattoos that resemble tiger stripes, she made herself out as a strong and intimidating individual. Especially when those golden eyes stared straight into Kaanchana’s.

The signature red cape that the High Leaders wore nowhere to be seen, Sienna sat there behind the screen, her pierced tiger ears folded back as she lectured the faction leader. “This is not the first time you’ve failed to keep your soldiers under control, Kaanchana! An attack on Vale’s capital? What were they thinking?!”

“Trust me, I have already punished Banesaw and Iya for their reckless behaviour, High Leader.” Kaanchana revealed calmly, sitting by her giant war table as her scroll was propped up.

“It’s clear that those punishments aren’t working!” Sienna shot back. “Banesaw has been a valuable addition to the White Fang, but Iya is becoming too much hassle for what she’s worth! If you don’t get that into her head, I will be forced to step in on your behalf.”

“You chose to give leadership of Vale’s faction to me, and I promised I would not let you down.” Kaanchana responded, her voice dropping to a tender tone. “Please, I just need you to give me some time. Believe me when I say that I will not bring any more trouble to you or the White Fang.”

The gentle way she spoke seemed to calm Sienna down. 

Slowly, her ears perked up, and all the tension in her body softened. For a moment, she looked at Kaanchana with trust in those eyes, sighing to herself before replying. “Okay. If you promise that you will be more careful in the future… I trust you. But we cannot afford another incident like this again, understand?”

“I do. Thank you, Sienna.”

Sienna didn’t respond to that. Rather, she just glanced down with a frown on her face, and there, the video call cut out. 

Silent, Kaanchana sat there staring at the dark screen. After a while, she pulled herself away from it, focusing on the matters at hand with the documents she requested left on the war table. 

But she wasn’t alone for long. From behind her, the quiet rustling of fabric and Banesaw’s deep voice disturbed her peace. “Leader Naga?”

“What is it?” She snapped back at him. 

“I’m sorry for disturbing you, but I had to tell you that some of the White Fang recruits are growing restless.” Banesaw confessed, clearly worried even with his face hidden by his mask. “They’ve heard what happened to Blake, and that Adam is still alive. Some are getting angry at you specifically.”

“What do they say of me?”

“That you favour Adam. That you would let him trample over everything the White Fang is fighting for without stopping him.” He revealed as he walked further into the tent.

Cowards. They would gossip behind her back, but hold their tongues in her presence. It mattered not. Kaanchana felt that anger swirling deep inside, but she pushed it down. Now was not the time for another explosion.

She had to be calm. Cold even. When she would strike back at all her enemies, she would not rely on such a brutish emotion to claim her victories.

Eerily calm, she slowly pulled the golden helmet that she always wore. Strands of hair that kept it in place fell to frame her face, the woman moving to her bed to place the mask down, showing a more vulnerable side in hopes that Banesaw would open up more. She needed to know everything. 

As she kept her neutral expression, she finally turned to her lieutenant. “And what do you think of me?”

“What’d you mean?”

“You say that all these recruits think less of me because of Adam. I wish to know your own opinion.”

He didn’t say it outright. Rather, he held his tongue, his head tilted down to the floor while Kaanchana wandered around him slowly. Hands held in front of her waist, she didn’t speak, giving him all the time to pluck what courage he needed to confess his true feelings. 

Finally, her patience paid off when he confessed softly. “I find myself confused with your decisions sometimes, Leader.”

“Please,” she offered, holding a hand up to prompt him. “Speak your mind.”

“It’s just… Why Adam? There have been many kids that have passed through our ranks over the years, more that were loyal to the cause to the end. I know you didn’t care much for Blake, or her parents, but what was it about Adam that makes you want him to return?”

“Believe it or not, I did care for Blake. She was one of our most valuable members, I admired her drive at such a young age.” Kaanchana corrected. “Once upon a time, I loved her parents like family. Ghira brought Sienna and I into the White Fang, gave us something to fight for. A cause to believe in is one of the most valuable things to give, Banesaw.”

“But, why-?”

“Why do I give more leniency to Adam?”

Banesaw nodded.

For once, Kaanchana felt a pang of emotion hit her in the heart. It tightened, a painful squeeze that plagued her whenever she thought about the missing boy. She turned her back to him.

Near her bed, a tall mirror stood alone. It was dusty, old, with a few cracks in the glass from years on the road, but it was something she prized amongst her limited processions. She walked slowly towards it, all while explaining in a soft voice. “I remember the day he came to us. Such a small boy he was, all skin and bones, but in his eyes I saw a fire. Determination.”

Banesaw kept quiet while she carried on.

“A long time in Mistral, everyone in my village had nothing like that. We were driven down to the southern lands, to deserts and volcanic fields where nothing grew and livestock died. Yet they didn’t fight against the injustice. Scared sheep, content to graze and follow each other until they were led to the slaughterhouse.”

The memories were hard to ignore. Childhood in a village too poor to even pay for protection, leaving them vulnerable to Grimm and bandits while those in Northern Mistral grew fat and lazy on the back of her people.

A deep hiss rumbled in the back of her throat, the sound hard to suppress as she spat bitterly. “Adam knew what it was like to be hated. To have your face open to the world to judge, to stare and run away before they got to know the person it belonged to.”

Slowly, her hand moved up to the mask around her face. 

“I saw a little boy and for the first time in my life, I felt like someone understood. I felt  _ love.  _ I could’ve been a mother that I never had, someone strong who could turn him into the person he needed to be.” She paused with a finger hooked around the rim of her mask. “But Hajimu took him from me. I let her play mother, but she couldn’t give him what he needed. I could. I protected him and Blake when so many abandoned them, I gave them  _ everything. _ ”

“I didn’t know you felt that way.” Banesaw confessed.

“That is why I wouldn’t let Iya kill him. That is why I let him go. That is why I have to believe he’ll come back to me!” She ranted angrily, turning back around to Banesaw with her mask fully pulled down. “Because I looked at what humanity did to his face and I saw myself!”

Even with the Grimm mask on his own face, the way Banesaw’s body stiffened at the sight of her face was impossible to ignore.

She knew how she looked scared people. Even other Faunus. 

Green eyes staring down in uncontrollable sorrow, she turned back to the mirror, taking a good look at the woman staring back. 

Above her nose, she looked like a normal woman, beautiful even as some would say. Yet once the mask was removed and her face was exposed, those around her could see just what was wrong. Thin lips were pressed together, but rather than looking like they would on a human or another Faunus, her skin was split and stretched upwards from ear to ear, resembling a wide smile.

As her mouth opened, the pink flesh between her lips were exposed, with her jaw stretching far beyond that of a normal human being. Inside, small, needle like teeth glimmered in the light, dozens of them set far back into her mouth.

Gently, a forked tongue flicked out, tasting the air around before disappearing back into her mouth. When she had enough of looking at herself, Kaanchana pulled the mask back up and approached Banesaw again.

“I was born like any other Faunus and people treated me like a freak. That is all Adam will get out there without me protecting him.” She pressed. “I have to get him back, to protect him. Anyone who gets in my way will regret it.”

Banesaw stared down at her. With a slow voice, he replied. “I… understand.”

“Good. Now go. Tell the recruits that if they wish to keep gossiping about me, that I would very much like to hear it myself.” She waved him away, returning to the war table.

As she pressed her hands against them, she listened to Banesaw leaving the tent once more. All alone. 

Those emotions she tried so desperately to control came flooding back. Worry, anger, betrayal, she couldn’t ignore them, only able to dig her nails into the wood with an aggravated groan. She would get Adam back.

Nothing would stop her. 


	24. From The Sidelines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As their student missions come to an end and the Vytal Tournament begins, Team AZRE watch their Academy fight for Beacon’s name, and finally see a team that would soon be connected to them in more ways than one.

“Guys, guys! It’s on!” 

Eirian’s excited shouting caught her friends’ attention. All huddled in their dorm room, Adam and Zanthus were busy finishing up a book report while Ruri kept to her bed, surrounded by books and papers. 

Flicking through Professor Slaugh’s  _ Encyclopedia of Aura & Semblances,  _ he knew what she was talking about before even looking up. The sound of loud cheering and the announcers booming voices were hard to miss. A gripping, thunderous voice, he glanced up to see the scroll in Eirian’s hands lit up, the student sitting on his bed with her legs crossed. 

At least she wasn’t wearing her shoes this time. 

“You’ve been watching that since the day the tournament began.” Zanthus pointed out, looking up from his batch of notes with a tired frown. “You got plenty of work that needs to be done.”

“But it’s the finale today! Two teams from Beacon made it through, and we’re so close to winning!” Eirian rambled on. 

Both Zanthus and Adam stared at her as she flipped the scroll around. The screen facing them, they could see a diagram showing the four kingdom insignias, the attention grabbing voice from before explaining the rules.

“Now, for the viewers who’re watching from home, let’s explain what will happen in this year’s final tournament fights.” He paused for a moment, waiting for the diagram to shift to show single figures standing next to each other. “Each team who have gotten this far has chosen one member to represent them in the match. At complete random choice, each fighter will be matched to another from a different team.”

“Wow, you weren't kidding… We’ve got more students in the finals than any other kingdom.” Zanthus mumbled in awe, moving to sit down next to Eirian while she carried on watching.

Annoyed, Adam snapped the book shut in his hands, putting it down beside him while getting up to join his team. “Well, I guess we ain’t getting anything done today.”

Even with his grouchy remark, he still sat down next to Eirian, staring down at the screen while the announcer carried on with the rules. 

“We will be working up to the final fight between the winners to determine the winning team and Academy of the 38th Vytal Tournament!” The crowds grew in excitement at that, able to be heard even from where the announcement box was. “Now, without any delay, let’s begin!”

“Oh look,” Eirian gasped. “It’s Stephan!”

“Steven.” Adam corrected.

As he looked closer, however, he quickly realised that it was in fact Steven standing amongst the finalists. He hadn’t watched the previous fights, mostly because he wanted to busy himself and not think about the fact that he and his own team weren't there to participate that year. 

The same couldn’t be said for Eirian. A huge grin on her face, she quickly took to filling in for her friends. “His team was so cool all throughout this tournament! Did you see his Semblance, or his weapon? I never thought you could do so much with a hard light wand!”

“Hush, they’re announcing the first fight.” Zanthus placed a hand over her mouth, silencing Eirian while she sat there deflated. 

“Now, the first fight of the finales will be against…” The giant screen hanging over the arena lit up brightly, the portraits of those participating spinning like those in the casinos. 

Slowly, it came to a stop, and the announcer loudly revealed the results. “Steven Rosewater of Beacon versus Roxanne Marrón of Vacuo!”

“Ooooo, Vacuo!” Eirian’s muffled voice piped up.

“If she’s gotten this far, Steven shouldn’t underestimate her.” Adam hummed, watching the students leave the arena save for those two. “Any student from Vacuo is an opponent to be wary of.”

“That’s what you get when you get groups together in a desert.” Zanthus replied amusingly. 

That made Adam laugh quietly. With his smile still on his face, he listened as Eirian called out to the one missing member of their team. “Ruri?”

No response. Her face buried in her books, she didn’t hear Eirian’s calls. For a moment, Eirian was quiet, thinking deeply to herself before, out of nowhere, Nabk hopped down from where he was sitting on Ruri’s headboard. 

Beside the teenage girl, his short, curved beak tugged gently at her shirt, grabbing Ruri’s attention as she looked over at her friends. Eyes focused on them, Eirian tried again to ask her. “Wanna come and watch the finals with us?”

“ _ No, thank you. _ ” She declined politely. “ _ I want to finish this Law assignment early. _ ”

“Oh… Okay, but you can just come over if you change your mind.” Even with the kind offer and attempts to hide her disappointment, it was still as clear as day that the rejection hurt Eirian deeply. 

Watching her with a deep frown, Adam glanced over at Ruri, watching her return to her work while Nabk nuzzled closer into her. Despite his creator’s sadness over her friend not joining the group to have fun watching the tournament, he seemed to enjoy the presence of the aquatic Faunus. 

Still, they couldn’t dwell on it for too long. Soon enough, the uproar of the crowds on Eirian’s phone grabbed their attention again, Adam noticing that the fight had already begun while they were distracted. 

After just watching for a few moments, he could see how Steven got so far into the tournament. He was by no means agile or fast, but his weapon and Semblance did much of the legwork in the fight. The hard light wand glowed in his hands, flashing bright light that formed a protective barrier around him.

Any blow Roxanne landed was deflected by the shield. 

“I know that Semblance!” She exclaimed, practically bouncing in her spot while both Zanthus and Adam watched her in confusion. “It looks like a kinesis based Semblance. Photokinesis, the ability to manipulate light. From his previous matches I watched, he’s able to do a lot of things with just that one power! He’s bound to win!”

“He’s pretty strong, but I wouldn’t be so sure just yet.” Zanthus revealed. 

As they all focused on the screen again, Adam could see that Zanthus wasn’t wrong. 

Even though Steven was a formidable opponent, Roxanne was taking it all in her stride. As she dodged one of the beams of light that Steven was shooting at her through his wand, she ran around in a wide circle, dodging the attacks as one hit the ground underneath her. A small explosion lifted her up, but she managed to land on her feet. 

Thick cowboy boots skidded right across the concrete, sparks flying when the spurs on the back of her shoes made contact with the ground. 

“Those boots are so cute!” Eirian complimented. 

From beside her, Adam noticed something. “Those chambers around them. Is that… Dust?”

Almost as if to answer his question, Roxanne cocked her leg up, the Dust containers on her boots flaring up before a red aura covered the soles of her feet. With a powerful kick, the Dust ignited, leaving a trail of fire that charred the stone she was standing on. Powered on by the flames, she shot right across the arena platform. 

“Ooo, wait, I think I’ve seen those in Professor Stein’s class.” Eirian confessed, raising one finger up in thought. “I tried putting them on Ruri’s weapons. I dunno how they work exactly, but they kinda take small capsules of Dust and funnel them through grooves in the weapon.”

“So she put those funnels in her boots?” Zanthus asked.

“Most likely,” Adam joined in. “Dust can work with any medium. Some ancient practices had Dust woven directly into clothes for offensive reasons. But after the monopolisation of the Dust industry under the SDC, Dust became too expensive and these practices died out.”

“People of Vacuo tend to keep tradition very close, to be honest.” Eirian replied.

Nodding, they turned their attention back to the fight. 

With her target in close quarters, Roxanne’s true skills shone through. Hands clenched into fists, she was clearly a kick based fighter, letting loose with a flurry of kicks with her body leaning backwards to balance herself. Surprisingly, Steven was doing far better than Adam would’ve thought. 

Ducking to avoid a high kick, he quickly formed another hard light barrier to protect himself, watching the light shimmer when Roxanne’s heel made contact with it. 

Her attack foiled, she backflipped away, chased by more beams of light. As soon as her feet hit the ground, one came straight for her. For a moment, Adam held his breath. Come on, Steven. 

Disappointment was heavy on his shoulders when he saw Roxanne counter the attack. Bright light that could’ve blinded anyone else, she seemed less fazed by it, leaning to the side as the beam shot right past her. As soon as she dodged it, she crouched down low and, with a kick of her powerful thighs, shot right up into the air. 

Even with the cameras easily following the action, it was so fast paced that it left the team reeling from it. She was practically a blur. Yet, the telltale glow of her boots were impossible to miss, even when the sun behind her blinded anyone who tried to spot the fighter. 

Kicking the air, a gust of wind pushed her through the skies. As soon as she landed on her feet, she slid across the ground, using the momentum to dodge numerous beams shot her way. 

“Damn, she’s quick.” Zanthus muttered.

It wasn’t over yet. Rushing for Steven again, Roxanne used the wind Dust in her boots to practically fly across the ground, a blur or red and brown that sped around Steven as he tried to keep some distance between them. 

It wasn’t entirely one sided. Roxanne was quick, but even she had to take a few blows from her opponent. As she stopped to make a rush straight for Steven, she was blindsided by him suddenly turning invisible, stumbling to a halt while the announcer commentated. “It seems Steven Rosewater is using another aspect of his Semblance, Photokinesis. By manipulating the light around him, he is able to render himself completely invisible!”

“Wait,” Zanthus turned to his friends. “If he’s making himself invisible, wouldn’t that make him blind?”

“That’s too much science, I wanna watch the fight.” Eirian brushed off. 

Suddenly, they turned back to see Rozanne sideswiped by a powerful beam of light. A heavy impact, it sent her flying across the ground, rolling to a stop while yelling loudly. 

Just like the team watching the fight, even the audience audibly winced at the blow. 

“Ouch…” Eirian mumbled to herself. 

Despite the minor setback, Roxanne got back to her feet, rubbing the side gingerly with a deep frown. A few moments of getting herself together, and the fight continued. 

“How can she fight what she can’t see?” Adam muttered.

Watching closely, Eirian studied the fight, contemplating Adam’s question before she realised. “She’s listening. A hard light wand like Steven’s would give off sound before it’s used, all Dust does. Not only that, but he can’t hide the light that he fires at her unless he wants to ruin the attack itself.”

“It’s still not an easy feat to hear such a small sound in a big arena like that.” Zanthus countered. “So many people cheering loudly, even a Faunus with acute hearing would struggle.”

“Either way, she seems to be handling it.” Adam pulled their attention back to the fight. 

He wasn’t wrong. Roxanne moved slowly, turning her head around with slow movements. There, she dodged a sudden attack, focusing on the spot where it came from. She found him. 

Like a bullet, she shot off once more. This time was different. Before she was quick and precise, but there was something about her fighting. Almost like she was holding back. Now, after the harsh blow that dropped her Aura to under half, she no longer gave herself that handicap. It was something that caught Adam’s attention. 

Quickly, she closed the gap between her and Steven, who’s invisibility vanished as soon as he realised he had been found. Wand in hand, he was slowing down, sweat rolling down his face and his grip weakening, something that made Adam raise an eyebrow. There wasn’t much time left. Neither could keep up their assault. 

Suddenly, Roxanne grabbed hold of Steven’s hand, wrenching it backwards to loosen his grip on his wand. With a grunt, he dropped it. Everything was happening so quickly.

Her free hand shot up to his throat, gripping it tightly with red coloured Aura glowing over her tanned skin. As soon as she made contact, the Aura crept over Steven, illuminating his own pink coloured Aura as the two melded together. What was she doing?

As they watched, the Aura Roxanne was emitting pulled back violently, wrenching Steven’s own with it as she kicked him backwards. A yelp of pain escaped him as he rolled across the floor. 

He came to a stop. On one knee, he looked up in shock, watching as his own Aura mixed with Roxanne’s, the once pink colour turning to a deep crimson. As the light faded away, she seemed more energetic, lively even, with the announcer’s voice booming over the comms. 

“What an amazing move by Roxanne! Seems like we got just a glimpse of the Shade student’s Semblance, Life Snatcher!” He explained cheerfully. “With just a touch, she is able to snatch some of her opponent’s Aura to add to her own. Be careful, this pretty lady has a deadly touch!”

“She can steal Aura?” Eirian gasped. “That’s so cool… and terrifying.”

Adam silently agreed with her. Even with his eyes trained on the scroll screen, he could hear Zanthus add on in wonder. “That’s not a Semblance you wanna fight against.”

Roxanne herself didn’t seem amused with her description. A hand on her hip, she glared up at the announcer’s box, saying nothing as she just rolled her eyes and turned her focus back on the fight. 

From the looks on the arena board, Steven’s Aura was not going to hold up for much longer. 

Adam couldn’t help but worry for the student. Not only did he want his Academy to win, but he knew that Steven and everyone had worked so hard in preparation for this year’s Vytal Tournament. Watching as Roxanne fought on with cold precision was hard.

At least she didn’t toy with him. As she walked up to where he was kneeling, she gave a short nod and delivered a devastating high kick right on top of his head. Pink Aura shattered like glass, fragments fading away as a loud klaxon blared through the arena. 

“And that’s the end of the match!” The announcer shouted. “Congratulations to the winner; Roxanne Marrón of Shade Academy!”

The crowds burst into cheers. Amongst the sea of students and teachers, those from Vacuo were easy to spot. None wore any uniforms, rather wearing whatever they wished to. Some were dressed lightly, a vast array of light colours, while others were wrapped up in thin layers of fabric. As soon as their classmate and Shade representative won, they erupted into loud whoops and cheers, ecstatic that Roxanne had won. 

The exact opposite could be said for those from Beacon. Many sat there dejected in their seats, and even Team AZRE sat there sadly while the match ended. As the cameras turned to after match interviews, Adam sat there solemnly, listening to Eirian as she tried to pick his spirits up. 

“Hey,” she muttered with a smile. “We still got one team left in the running. There’s still hope that Beacon can win.”

“Yeah, don’t be too down.” Zanthus joined in, reaching around Eirian to pat his leader on the back.

Accepting the tender gesture, Adam nodded with a saddened smile. As they watched the interviews after the match, he found himself perking up when he saw that Steven, despite the harsh loss, was still smiling and accepting his opponent’s victory with good grace. 

As the interviews turned to Roxanne herself, he could finally get a clear look at her rather than the blurred picture from the fight cameras. 

Just like the announcer described her, she was actually very pretty. Warm tanned skin and black hair styled into a tight braid draped over her left shoulder, she had a long bang that hid away her right eye. Not to mention that her eyes were just like what Steven’s looked like. Mesmerizing, like silver coins had been melted, with white flecks sparkling in her round eyes. They matched the silver, diamond shaped earrings that she wore.

Adjusting her brown cowboy hat, she replied to every question asked, conducting herself with professionalism and humble words. 

“Wow, she’s really… pretty.” Eirian mumbled, cupping her blushing face while Adam and Zanthus smirked at her. 

With the screen cutting off just above her chest, he could only see the top of her open jacket, the lack of sleeves showing the bare skin of her shoulders and the red sleeves of her low riding shirt. With holes in the sleeves, the top of her arms were exposed, showing off a stitched up scar that ran down her left upper arm. 

“I commemorate Steven Rosewater and Beacon for the fight. He was a skilled opponent, and I give my respect to him as a future Huntsman.” She complimented, bowing her head slightly before adding. “Hopefully, I will come out of this tournament as the victor, but since we Vacuans don’t believe in luck, I will simply ask that every finalist here today shows the best of their abilities.”

“She’s certainly humble.” Zanthus joked.

As the interviews came to an end and the short break came, Eirian lowered her scroll and whined softly. “Man, I thought he had a shot.”

“Steven gave it his all, we at least can give him that.” Adam sighed, getting up from the bed. “There’s plenty of work to be done here. Let’s try and finish something today.”

“But there’s still matches to watch! We got one team left in the running, what if they’re next?” Eirian rambled.

“You can watch the match if Beacon is fighting, but there’s plenty to be done here that won’t just vanish when the tournament ends.” Adam chastised, plucking Eirian’s scroll straight out of her hands, ignoring her protests as he held it high above her. 

Since she only came up to his chest, it was laughably easy keeping anything out of her reach. 

Not giving up, he stared down into those crimson eyes and replied in a strict voice. “Work first, scroll later.”

Knowing that she would not get him to budge on the matter, Eirian let her hand fall to her side and huffed. “Fine. I’ll do the stupid report.”

“And the essay.” Adam added, lowering his hand to slip the scroll in his back pocket. “And your share of the group presentation.”

“You sure you trust her after her ten page essay on Vacuo’s laws?” Zanthus questioned from the bed.

Frustrated, Eirian waved her one good arm around as she defended herself. “If I had my own way, everyone would have the same laws and they wouldn’t be so confusing!”

“Or you could, you know, pay attention to your classes.” Adam shot back.

Lips pouting out, she shuffled over to where the books and work was on the floor and sat down in a huff, legs crossed while Adam and Zanthus moved to join her. 

Even though it was hard work getting her to focus on anything, once she found a rhythm she started to get the work done. It was slow, tedious, but when they slowly moved away from Semblance & Aura towards World of Remnant, that’s when it was more difficult to stop Eirian from getting ahead of herself. 

All that time, Ruri kept to herself. Occasionally, she would pass some notes to her teammates, not wanting them to fail even if she was on strained terms, but otherwise, she kept them at arm's length. 

Adam gave her the space. He wouldn’t lie, it was tempting to go and try to bring her over, let her into the group and have her just be friends with them again, but he knew better. When one needed space, having someone stomp over their boundaries was the last thing to bring them closer. 

Hours passing by, the group actually got some work done. Back clicking when he straightened himself, Adam groaned in pain, rubbing it tenderly while Eirian piped up. “Wow, we actually got so much done!”

“Lemme check over your stuff. Just to make sure.” Adam demanded, stretching his hand out patiently. 

Pouting, she didn’t fight against it, instead handing the worksheets over in defeat so that Adam could check them over. Accepting them silently, he glanced over the pages, making sure that she had the right kingdom that time and that everything was right. 

Well.

At least she had pretty handwriting. 

Passing it back to her, he was glad to at least say. “Looks alright. We should be able to pass with that.”

“Awesome.” Eirian beamed. 

Carrying on, he glanced up at the clock hanging on the wall. When he saw that it was already nearing five in the afternoon, letting his pen fall to the pad of paper on his lap. “We should be having dinner soon.”

“Oh, I’m starving.” Eirian complained, leaning back with a hand pressed against her stomach. “I wonder how the tournament is going?”

“If the sounds of the students downstairs says anything, we lost our other match.” Zanthus piped up, his ears twitching as he said that.

As the other two stared at him, Eirian rubbed one of his ears while muttering. “Your hearing is so good.”

“Please stop grabbing my ears.” He sighed, gently prying her fingers from the soft fur of his ears. 

Disappointed, Adam leaned back, his bad leg stretched out as the damaged muscles tightened painfully, causing him to groan softly to himself before piping up. “Well, guess we have next year to try and win.”

“Shame that we weren't there. I’m sure our team could bring home the title!” Eirian pointed out excitedly.

“I’m not sure.” Zanthus joined in with a less enthusiastic tone. “Did you see those that made it to the finales? Like that Roxanne girl?”

The girl beside him excitedly added. “Yeah, she was all like  _ whoosh  _ and  _ nyooom _ .” 

“She was certainly a difficult opponent.” Adam agreed. “She’d be a big problem when we go to the Vytal Festival in Vacuo, next year.”

“Home advantage too.” Eirian piped up seriously.

All in all, the team were worried about their competition for the next tournament. Adam had faith in himself and his team, but he knew better now than to underestimate others, especially when he’s seen them fight before. If Roxanne was just one of many skilled fighters, they’d have a serious threat on their hands. 

Suddenly, his thoughts were disturbed when the dorm’s door swung open. “Ah, so you guys have locked yourselves in here.”

All three were shocked by the new arrival, all save for Ruri. Startled, Eirian let out a yelp, practically jumping into Zanthus’ lap. With three pairs of eyes focused on the newcomer, it was quickly revealed to be Professor Melina at the door.

An amused look on their face, they closed the door behind them. “You know, everyone is watching the tournament downstairs in the living room. Why haven’t you guys joined them?”

“Aha, well… it’s just better sticking to our room.” Eirian deflected with a nervous laugh. 

However, Zanthus and Adam were not laughing at all. 

Solemnly, Adam was honest with the teacher as he confessed. “We’re not really welcome among a lot of the other students.”

Any amusement vanished at that. Standing by the closed door, Melina sighed to themselves, looking off to the side while deep in thought. 

Finally, they spoke. “I don’t blame you guys for avoiding them after what happened with Gustave. Still, it won’t get any better if you keep running away from the problem.”

“I’m not in the mood to try and show people that I’m actually  _ not  _ a violent terrorist.” Adam shot back bitterly. “Well… not anymore.”

“I’m just saying. They know only what they were told. Maybe showing that they’re wrong will help build bridges that had been burned down.” They suggested, approaching the group of teens slowly. 

Eirian and Zanthus shared a look, neither saying anything until the latter spoke up. “It might not be that easy.”

“No. No, it rarely is.” The professor agreed, brushing a stray hair from in front of their face. “But nothing worth doing is.”

“How worthy can it be?” Adam asked.

“Well, think about it this way. You really want to spend the next three and a half years alone, with everyone thinking you’re something you’re not? Or do you wanna try and show the world who you really are?”

The question left Adam stumped. His eyes falling to the books beside him, he kept quiet, listening only when Melina left that thought with him and carried on the conversation. “Either way, I just came to check up on your work. Make sure you all understand it.”

“It’s pretty easy.” Eirian boasted, trying to silently plead with the two boys to stay quiet. 

“Is that so?” Melina retorted, approaching the sitting down student with a smirk. “Well, how about you have the next assignment early? I’m sure you’ll get it done in no time given how easy it is.”

All the colour drained from her face. Eyes darting from side to side, she was silent for only a few seconds, before that same nervous grin came back and she quickly backtracked. “Did I say easy? I meant hard, super hard, challenging, right Zanthus?”

“Right.” He nodded. 

With it resolved, Melina took a step back, letting Eirian sigh in relief while they bypassed all and instead approached Ruri. 

Having watched from where she sat on her bed, she shuffled a couple of pages together and handed it to the professor with a simple nod. Melina accepted it, flicking through them with an amused tone to their voice. “You know, if all my students took their work as seriously as you do, I’d have such an easier time marking them on time.”

Ruri smiled at that. 

“You know, professor,” Eirian babbled as she shot up to the feet. “Since everyone’s been watching the tournament, anything you can tell us about the girl that won against Stanley?”

“Steven.” Adam corrected.

“Steven Rosewater?” They hummed, waiting until Eirian nodded in response before elaborating. “Well, I had a run in with Roxanne Marrón and her team last year at the Vytal Festival in Atlas. They were only first years back then, but they had managed to get to the finals there as well. I wouldn’t expect anything less from Headmistress Eliana’s handpicked team.”

“Her handpicked team?” Zanthus questioned.

“They’re not supposed to, but the four headmasters of the Academies tend to pick one team as their favourites. Eliana’s two children, the Marrón twins, are on Team CRMN so I’m not surprised that she’s shown favouring them.” Melina flicked their long hair behind them with a sigh. “Headmistress Jin of Haven showed favoritism to Team FRST before they graduated, General Ironwood prefers Team FNKI-”

“What about Ozpin?” Eirian interrupted giddily. “Is it us? I bet it’s us.”

“Actually… I don’t know.” Eirian couldn’t hide her disappointment at that. 

Slowly, they turned to look at her, that smirk disappearing slightly while they carried on. “Ozpin’s been headmaster for a long time, far longer than I or many of Beacon’s staff have even worked here. If he ever showed favoritism to a team, chances are it was way before I came here.”

That was certainly to think about.

With Ruri’s work in hand, Professor Melina moved past Eirian, approaching the door once more. However, before they opened it, they paused, turning to the team with a gentle look. 

“You four will have your chance come next year, but… be careful.” They warned. “There’re plenty of people out there who can rival your strength.”

With that, they left. 

As the door closed, the team sat there in silence. Only Eirian remained standing, looking around at her team with surprise. From where he sat, Adam’s eyes met hers, the two silently staring at each other before she finally broke the silence.

“I mean, they’re not wrong. There’s always gonna be people as strong or even stronger than us.” She confessed. “But that doesn’t mean I’m scared. I believe we can do it if we put in the effort!”

“It’s kinda scary thinking about it even though it’s a year away.” Zanthus pointed out timidly. “Fighting in a big arena, surrounded by loud people… Reminds me of back in Mistral.”

When he brought up Mistral and the fighting rings, the room fell silent. The air became heavy, thick, and like a heavy weight it sat over all of them, almost crushing to all those in the room. Even Ruri, who was watching silently, became unnerved by the mention.

Surprisingly, Adam broke up the tension first. “It’s not gonna be like the fighting rings, Zanthus. We won’t let you go through that again.”

“I know. I know. It’s just kinda similar and… I guess it just reminds me of things I’d rather forget.” He sighed deeply, hands ruffling through his thick golden hair.

“Are you gonna be okay? When we get to Vacuo next year, I don’t want you to feel like you’re back there again.” Eirian asked in a soft voice. 

His ears fell down at that. Only slightly, they were still fully visible on top of his head, but they only added to the nervousness that was so clear on his face. 

“I don’t know.” He replied honestly. “Maybe. I won’t put our spot in the tournament in danger, it’s just something I gotta… get used to.”

“What happened isn’t something you can just get used to.” Adam insisted. 

Eirian seemed to agree with him actually, nodding as she walked closer to Adam’s side, gesturing to Zanthus while inquiring. “I saw some posters around for counselling here in Beacon. With so many students coming here having witnessed some serious things, it makes sense that Ozpin would install something to help them. Maybe it’d help you guys to go and talk to someone about all this?”

“What about you?” Zanthus responded.

“Me?” She turned back to him, pointing to herself before smiling brightly. “I’m fine! Nothing that a little smile and positive thinking can’t fix!”

“You can’t smile away all the things that happened in Vikela.” Adam retorted.

As she turned back to him, he could see that flash of bitter acceptance wash across her face. Eyes fallen to the floor, she seemed to have taken aboard Adam’s point, only for her to quickly revert back to that cheerful state once more.

“It’s not as bad as you think!” She insisted, waving her free hand nonchalantly. “It’ll get better once I graduate and go back home.”

That caught Adam’s attention. “What makes you think that?”

“Well, Huntsmen are revered all around Remnant.” She explained, turning towards the window as she stared out of it.

In the distance, they could see the tower of Beacon Academy, right where Ozpin’s office was. With her reflection in the window, she stared at it, looking at herself with a deep frown while carrying on. “With no Academy, Menagerie is always at the mercy of Grimm. Any Faunus that goes to the Academies find that they can’t accept missions back home with the restrictions on their licenses. We have no rights as a kingdom, no Academy, nothing.”

“That’s how the other kingdoms prefer it. They refuse to do anything unless it affects them directly.” Adam added angrily.

“I wanna change that.” Eirian admitted, turning back to her team with a hand on her chest. “I wanna go home and show the Faunus there that I can be trusted, that I want to help. Every step I can take to making Menagerie a respected kingdom is one step closer to our people finally accepting me.”

“This isn’t something just one person can change. Not even the Chieftain can override what the kingdoms think of us.” Adam argued.

“Doesn’t mean we can’t take the first step ourselves.” Eirian countered. “It’ll be hard, but if we can run an entire island after everything that’s been thrown at us, then we can fight for our title of a kingdom. Maybe in the future, we can have our own Academy, a place for Faunus, humans and those in between to go just like Beacon.”

Right then, it sounded like a goal from long ago. Those very words, spoken with the same passion, it had Adam reeling from the past clawing its way back. Eirian stood there with that determination, and for a moment, it reminded him of Blake.

A child still so young, her blue and gold eyes shone brightly as she made a promise to Adam and to all Faunus. A promise to keep fighting until they were seen as equals. 

He wanted to accept that vow too. The idea was almost too tempting to pass up, but when he reached up to grab it with both hands, that same fear and bitterness came back. The truth that tasted like copper in his mouth. Turning to dust and sand that he couldn’t spit out. 

Grimacing to himself, he retracted further into himself and sighed in defeat. “It sounds like a fairytale, and life isn’t always like one.”

“Maybe, but I’m gonna keep trying anyway.”

He had to give it to her, Eirian did not give up. 

With that same smile on her face, she held her hand out to him, waiting patiently as he stared at it. Slowly, he reached for it, almost afraid that it would vanish from him. Yet when he grabbed it, he found himself helped back up to his feet, staring into Eirian’s shining eyes while she patted him on the back.

“Come on,” she started. “It’s dinner time, and I’m starving.”

“Gods, me too.” Zanthus agreed.

As he got up as well, Ruri joined her team, all four of them sticking together as they finally left their dorm room for the first time that day. 

By the time they had dinner and returned, however, the autumn day had turned to night and the cold winds chilled them to the bone. It would only get worse when winter would finally arrive. Shivering with teeth chattering together, Eirian had taken refuge in Zanthus’ cape, pressed up against him as she wrapped herself in the red fabric.

Yet out of all of them, Ruri was struggling the most with the dropping temperature.

Sluggish, she kept close to Adam, having accepted his jacket while they were outside. Draped over her shivering frame, he watched her closely. Fish Faunus weren't in serious danger with the cold like reptilian or amphibian Faunus, but they still struggled when the temperature dropped further than what they were comfortable with. 

As soon as they managed to get back into the dorm building, the warm air from the heating was a gift to the frozen students. 

Rubbing his numb digits together, all Adam wanted to do was vanish back into his room and enjoy the rest of the evening to himself. Yet, when he turned to look back at his team, he found Eirian and Zanthus standing by the door leading into the living room.

While Ruri carried on walking ahead of them, he stopped. “You guys coming?”

“Actually…” Eirian started, turning back to her leader. “We were gonna watch the final match in the living room with some of the other students.”

“Is this because of what Professor Melina said?”

“They weren't wrong, Adam.” Zanthus replied. “It might do us some good to at least try and show that we aren’t what Gustave said we were. Even if we only convince a few people.”

“Come join us. It could do you some good?” Eirian offered, holding onto the doorknob as she waited for his answer.

Professor Melina had a point. Deep down, Adam knew they did, but standing there at that moment, trying to reach out to those that had already made his mind up about him, it was something that unnerved him. It wasn’t fear of them rejecting him, more the fear of them accepting him… and then leaving nonetheless. 

Yet when he saw Eirian and Zanthus standing there, smiling warmly at him, he found a warm courage spreading through his chest. Without a second to doubt himself, he nodded softly. “I guess there’s always a chance to fix things.”

Turning around, he found that Ruri was nowhere to be seen. 

Surprised, he thought about going to go and grab her, before thinking against it. She’d likely reject the offer anyway. Best give her some space. At least, that was what he kept telling himself.

In all honesty, he didn’t know if giving her space was helping or just further widening the gap between them. 

Shaking his head free of the doubts, he followed after Eirian and Zanthus into the living room. 

It was a simple set up. With green plants decorating the room sparsely, the beige and green walls followed the style of the Academy, decorated with a huge rug in the middle and multiple couches that faced a wide TV screen that was pushed against the wall. With space between it and the doorway, a few round tables were placed before them.

As he passed one that had a chess board on top, Adam noticed the pieces left in a finished game. White had lost most of its pieces, with the black bishop having the white king in check. Poor tactics.

Even though most of the students had left Beacon, those that remained still filled out the living room. With both couches taken, and even the numerous chairs that had been brought over from the tables, the students that had gotten there before them were watching the TV closely. When the team came in however, all eyes were on them. 

Some were surprised that Team AZRE had actually left their room. Eyes wide for a moment, they quickly got over the unexpected arrival and turned back to the TV, but some of the others were far less pleased with their presence.

One of the girls, the same lemur Faunus that Eirian had previous runnings in, let her displeasure known immediately. “What’re you guys doing here?”

“Just wanted to come and watch the finals of the tournament.” Eirian explained, giving a small nervous laugh while Zanthus and Adam glanced at each other. 

Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.

Looking her up and down, the girl shot back. “I mean, you guys coulda been there if you didn’t go after literal terrorists.”

“Julia…” One of the other girls piped up nervously.

“What?” Julia snapped back. “You all heard what Gustave said. Surprised you guys didn’t go and join them with your leader.”

“What’s your excuse for being here, then? Didn’t have the skills to back up your big mouth?” Adam shot back, crossing his arms with a glare. 

Julia’s scowl deepened at that. Everyone looked uncomfortable at the confrontation, either trying to ignore it and focus on the TV or looking at their friends with silent words. Even Zanthus and Eirian were worried with the rising tension between Adam and Julia. 

Thankfully, Zanthus took the initiative to lessen tensions, getting between his friend and the girl while defusing the situation. “We’re just here to enjoy the match. Whatever Gustave told you, it’s not true. We’re just like the rest of youse.”

“Whatever.” Julia grumbled, looking at the TV once more with the conversation ending there.

Relieved, he looked over at Adam and shrugged, before finding a spot on the floor to sit down on. 

Eirian moved to join him, only for the girl who spoke Julia’s name just then piped up once more. “There’s a free space here for you.”

“Oh, thanks!” Eirian accepted, taking the seat offered to her with a bright smile. 

Now, it was only Adam left. Thankfully, one of the students had shuffled up silently, giving the spot to the injured boy so he didn’t have to sit on the uncomfortable floor. Next to Zanthus as the latter sat on the ground, they were all silent when the final match of the tournament carried on. 

Having missed the beginning, he was surprised to see Roxanne again on the big screen. She had made it all the way through the finals, fighting for the title and her Academy. 

The other opponent, he didn’t recognise. With their white, metal armour and pale colours, it was hard to mistake their allegiance to anyone other than Atlas, the sleek and futuristic look to their clothing in line to the advanced kingdom. Yet for all their armour, weapons and gadgets, it couldn’t replace skill. 

And Roxanne had already proven her own. 

Needless to say, by the time the match came to an end, she was standing victorious. On the ground, her opponent laid there broken, his visors cracked and his Aura completely depleted. As she approached them, Adam watched as she offered him her hand. 

When he accepted it, she helped him back to his feet and asked something, though what she said was lost on everyone with the roars of the crowds in the arena. Everyone went insane. Those from Vacuo especially so, overwhelmed with the fact that it was their Academy that won that year. 

Even the announcer was an overexcited mess as he wrapped up his speech. “And that concludes the 38th Vytal Tournament here in Haven! This year’s title and award will be going to Vacuo with Roxanne Marrón of Team CRMN! A brilliant day for Headmistress Eliana and her Academy, I’m sure!”

“Woaaaaaaah, did you see her?” Eirian gasped in awe, turning to the girl beside her. “She was so cool! Just flying around the arena, her weapons are perfect for her fighting style, and she’s just so pretty and nice! Oh, I’d love to meet her!”

“Maybe next year you can?” The girl pointed out, a bit put off by Eirian’s excitable nature.

“You really think so? That would be so amazing! I can’t wait now!”

While Eirian continued to babble on to the girls around her, Adam watched from his spot on the other couch, unable to stop a faint chuckle from escaping his lips. To see such excitement, desire even, he wouldn’t lie, it made even him ready to see what next year’s tournament had in store for them. 

Gently, he placed a hand on Zanthus’ shoulder, sharing a tender smile with his friend while they watched Eirian rebuild some of the bridges that Gustave torched down. 

It would be some time before they could worry about the next Vytal Tournament. As the teams returned at the end of October, the school year continued on, everyone getting back into the rhythm of school life. Everything had started to slowly change, but some refused to. 

Ruri was still distant, and Adam found that none of them could bridge that gap anymore. 

At least, until the winter holidays finally came. 


	25. The Call of Winter Winds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winter has come. While students enjoy the holidays that come at the end of the year, Team AZRE are still dealing with the pain of their deaf friend, who now has to deal with her first Fuyukinen without Seigyoku. As they try and mend the bridge, Ruri extends an olive branch in return, but when her parents come to Beacon with news, Ruri finds herself given a present she doesn't know how to accept.

Winter had finally come. 

A life in Menagerie had left Eirian with one thing; a complete inability to deal with the cold. With snow fallen in a thick blanket on the ground, the trees dead after months of colour and life, she stared at the world of Beacon around her with melancholy. No golden beaches, turquoise water, and no lush green palm trees. 

Everything was dark, grey and dead. 

Yet in the darkness, she found beauty in the snow. Pure white against the grey and black, she felt the snowflakes drifting down from the skies on the tip of her nose, melting away from the heat of her skin. 

Bundled from head to toe, she stood in the courtyard impatiently, bouncing from foot to foot while complaining. “It’s so  _ cold! _ I want summer to come back now!”

“You’re wearing like four layers of clothes.” Zanthus piped up from beside her, flicking the silver zipper pulled up to the blue and white scarf wrapped tightly around her neck. “Can you even move in that?”

“I got some wiggle room in here.” Her muffled voice pointed out. 

It was true, the insane amount of clothes she managed to slip into under her thick jacket made moving around difficult, but if it was either that or dealing with the cold, she’d pick the constricting clothing any day. 

At least her arm was out of the cast. Two months since the end of the Vytal Tournament, and she was healed enough to have her cast removed, on top of being able to freely explore the city of Vale to her heart’s content. While the same went for Adam, he found it more difficult to walk around than his teammates. 

Just like that, his voice echoed from behind them. “You guys didn’t have to wait out in the cold, you know?”

Both turned around to see Adam making his way towards them. No cane in sight, he had that same limp to his right leg, thought any complaints he may have had were left unspoken. 

“Eirian wanted to see the snow, and now she wants to complain.” Zanthus explained.

“It’s freezing!”

“We didn’t ask you to come with us into the city.” Adam shot back with a raised eyebrow, stopping once he was right in front of the other students. “I’m surprised you can feel anything at all under all those layers.”

“Warmth is a luxury I am no longer given.” She mumbled.

An amused smirk on his face, he glanced over at Zanthus before gesturing to them both. “At least you’re both dressed properly for the weather.”

New weather meant new clothes. While Eirian had bundled herself up, the layers compressed by a pure white jacket, thick thermal shorts over warm white and silver striped leggings, and cute little boots with a bird charm hanging off the left zipper, Zanthus was similarly layered up. 

Travelling the world meant that he was certainly more hardy than his friend. Even with his signature cape hanging around his neck, he swapped out his armour for more civilian wear. A gold jacket with orange decorations that mimicked the chestplate he was always seen wearing. Those similar black pants were thicker, protecting his muscular legs from the biting cold. 

Thick boots with cat claws decorating the tips replaced open toed sandals. Feet crunching the fallen snow, Zanthus plucked at his jacket with a thoughtful look. “Now that I’m here in the snow, I’m actually glad Ruri grabbed my jacket when she went clothes shopping. I’m sure you feel the same way, huh?”

“She has an eye for fashion, I’ll admit that.” Adam confessed, looking at his buttoned up smart jacket with a small smile.

“The red sweater suits your hair.” Eirian complimented, quickly turning to Zanthus as she pointed up to Adam’s head. “Don’t ya think, Zanthus?”

A warm blush spread across his face. Ears dipping down, his gaze averted to the ground, watching his feet while they rocked back and forth, crushing even more of the snow under his thick soles. 

“Well, I mean… it matches.” He muttered bashfully.

“It’s getting kinda long now.” Adam mused, running his hand through the long curls that sat on top of his head. 

“Long hair is good! Long hair keeps the head warm!” Eirian uplifted. 

From beside her, she noticed Zanthus nodding in agreement, rubbing the back of his neck while still not making eye contact with Adam. What was wrong? Did they have another fight recently?

_ Maybe time together alone will fix it!  _ She thought happily to herself.

Grinning, she began her plan with an innocent suggestion. “Why don’t you two head down ahead of me?”

“What? You were the one making a big deal of going into town to find whatever it was you wanted.” Adam shot back in annoyance. 

“One, it was food for the Vikelan holiday of Inkumbulo, and two, I’m still gonna come down, I just have a few things to do here before I go.” She explained with a raised finger to Adam.

“What things? The essay on the theory of Semblance Genetics vs Semblance Nurture?” He interrogated. 

“Or the practical with reforging blades for Professor Stein?” Zanthus added.

“Or Professor Pixie’s report on the effects of Dust on different medium-?”

“Okay, I get it!” Eirian stopped their combined bullying with frantic waving of her arms. “It’s not any of them.”

“But it should.”

“Zanthus, you’re not helping my self esteem here.”

He simply shrugged at that. 

Turning back to Adam, she was honest when she answered his questions. “I’m gonna look for Ruri. It’s such a pretty day, I want her to come and enjoy it too.”

“She went to the library for some privacy to do her work.” He sighed, rubbing his forehead gingerly as he added. “I don’t think she’ll appreciate you interrupting her study time, no matter the reasons you give her.”

“School’s out for the winter holidays, we got two weeks to just relax!” She countered. 

“I don’t think getting work done is what Ruri really wants.” Zanthus joined in with a hand on Eirian’s shoulder. “Ever since Seigyoku left, she put a gap between her and us. We all heard what she said that day.”

“I couldn’t forget it.” Adam grumbled angrily.

“She’s hurting. Whether our intentions are good or not, we didn’t help the situation at all with what we’ve done.”

At the mention of what they did at the Docks, Adam’s face fell. His one eye looking away from the others, he said nothing at first, only able to sigh solemnly before conceding to Zanthus’ point. “I get why she’s like this. I do, but we can’t keep letting her stay away from us all the time.”

“Adam’s right.” Eirian agreed. “Having space to process things is one thing, but it’s been nearly four months since Seigyoku left. Loneliness will only make Ruri feel worse.”

“Maybe…” Zanthus didn’t seem all that convinced. 

Still, he didn’t argue any further with Eirian’s decision. Whether he agreed or not, he had enough trust in her that she would do the right thing, rather turning to Adam with a warm smile. “They have opened the skating rink for the winter. Wanna go with me?”

“Ice skating? Damn, it’s been a long time since I’ve ice skated.” He laughed, a hand cupping the back of his neck.

“Well, there’s always a time to get back into old hobbies.” Zanthus looked over at Eirian again. “You can come join us when you get down to the city.”

“Oh… No, thank you.” The thought of ice skating filled her with dread.

By the look of concern on his face, the rejection worried him deeply. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing! I actually used to ice skate in Mistral’s lakes when my parents took me. We always travelled around Remnant when we could.” That brief moment of nostalgia gave way to grief. “I don’t like it very much anymore.”

Watching Adam and Zanthus share a look between each other, she scrambled to diffuse the tension rising up among them. “But it’s okay! You guys can go on without me, I’ll probably be looking in the Vacuan food stores in the city centre, anyway.”

“Well, we should be nearby. Catch up with you later, and Ruri, hopefully…” With the tender goodbyes, Zanthus walked away with Adam by his side. 

Even with their chatter lost on her ears, she could see that even with the missing member weighing heavily over them, they could at least find a brief moment of happiness together. That smile it brought on her face vanished after a few moments. 

Slowly, she turned to the library a short distance from the courtyard. There was no point in waiting around.

Hopefully, when she found Ruri there, she would be in a more accepting mood. Given how distant she had been those past months, it was a difficult thing to ask for. 

Yet while she shuffled through the snow to get to the library, she didn’t realise just what Ruri was doing that day. Rather than studying or finishing the mountain of work that the students were always, she was tucked away in a secluded part of the building, hidden away by rows of bookshelves.

Her scroll leaning against the desk, propped up by one of the books she had been reading before, she sat upright with hands resting on her lap, making herself look presentable while her mother’s voice echoed from the scroll.

“Of course, the people back home have been preparing for Fuyukinan. I wish you were here, Ruri, the servants have prepared the most exquisite fish for the family dinner.” She rambled on, looking actually happy for once. “All the family will be here. Your grandmother told me to give you her best regards, and to not slouch in your studies.”

Both of her parents were visible in the small box of the video call. In another box next to them, Seigyoku sat there looking as bored as ever. Rather than her old Huntress outfit, she wore a simple black kimono shirt and blue pants, sitting barefoot on her bed while her mother carried on ranting to her daughters.

“I simply told her that you have not only excelled in your academics, but have ranked top marks in your physical examinations too.” She rested a hand on her chest and added with a smile. “I expected nothing less of my daughter, you had always been a smart girl.”

“At least you got the two weeks off for the winter holidays, huh?” Seigyoku jumped in.

“Are you sure you can’t make it home for Fuyukinen? It’s not a family celebration without at least one of our daughters there?” Hisui asked politely.

Ruri shook her head, signing her answer clearly so Seigyoku could translate it. “She wants to, but between school work and training, there’s little time to make it to Tsubaki in time.”

“It’s good to take your position at Beacon seriously, but…” Hisui sighed. “I think you can give yourself a short break. I’m sure your Headmaster designed these school breaks so his students could relax, not throw themselves further into their studies.”

“If she wishes to take her work seriously, which you should, then we will support her decision.” Shinju chimed in with a deep frown.

“Yes, of course, but we should also push for self care, too.”

Shinju blinked slowly at that. Ears perked up, she was silent for a few moments, before she hummed in response. “Hmmm, perhaps you’re right. Ruri, why don’t you spend time with your team? Inter-Team dynamics are as important as your grades in the Academies.”

Ruri’s face fell at that. Why? Why didn’t she spend time with them? 

Deep down, she wanted that friendship. They were the first real friends she had. Yet when they reached out, she felt that anger at them fester back up, and she’d violently pull back. Anger at them… and at herself. 

Because she wasn’t perfect. She made a mistake, and that mistake cost her greatly. She couldn’t let herself be so foolish again.

There, she realised she wasn’t actually paying attention and quickly focused on her scroll, finding her mother having carried on talking while she was zoned out. “...and you have to work well with others to be the best, like your sister.”

“Well, your human friend seems pretty close to you.” Seigyoku butted in.

“A human friend? How interesting.” Shinju seemed intrigued with the mention of Eirian. “I would actually very much like to know more about her.”

Eirian. How could Ruri ever explain her friend without rambling on? Everything she was, all she had done, there was just too much for her to fit in one video call. She had to focus on one aspect though. Think.

“ _ She… _ ” Ruri started, her hands freezing for just a second before everything spilled forward. “ _ She’s the strongest person I know. Even after everything that’s happened to her, she just keeps smiling. Keeps helping. I… I admire her.” _

And deep down, she hated pushing her away.

What she said left her parents sitting there stunned, even Shinju’s usually stoic expression melted away to pleasant surprise. 

Slowly, she responded to Ruri’s honest answer. “She sounds like a good friend to you. I would like to actually meet her soon.”

“ _ I would like that. _ ” Ruri’s heart lifted as she smiled brightly.

“As much as we want to stay and talk to you both, I’m afraid we have to take our leave now.” Hisui revealed sadly. “The celebrations at home are starting, and we need to take the boat to the main town to oversee them.”

“Hopefully, you will have the time next year to join the feast and the Trail of Paper Lotuses.” Shinju added.

That caught Seigyoku’s attention as she moaned to herself. “Dammit, I can’t believe I’m gonna miss that too.”

“I’m afraid a local tradition for Fuyukinen won’t be as well known in the great halls of the Empress, darling.” Shinju sighed, her ears folded slightly while she continued. “We miss you. Both of you.”

“We miss you too, Mother.” Seigyoku confessed softly. 

Ruri nodded in agreement. Even with the complicated feelings she had, they were her parents. She would be lying if she said she didn’t miss them at all. 

The confession brought a smile to her mother’s aged face. Purple eyes lit up, she nodded silently, waving goodbye to her daughters with Hisui beside her. “Talk to you two again.”

“Bye, Mother.” Seigyoku and Ruri waved back. 

There, the call ended. Silence filled the room as Ruri sat there solemnly, watching as Seigyoku sighed to herself, brushing a stray hair from in front of her face. With her long hair no longer in the top knot she usually wore, the hair came past her lower back, similar to Ruri’s. 

“So,” she started, turning her attention to Ruri herself. “Now that they’re gone, you wanna tell why you aren’t hanging out with your team?”

She kept silent. Part of her didn’t want to worry Seigyoku, another didn’t want her sister to feel like it was her fault, that her leaving for the job that Ruri pushed her to take meant her little sister was completely unhappy in Beacon. 

But she knew that deep down, she couldn’t carry the burden much longer.

“ _ After you left, I… didn’t handle it very well. If Adam didn’t go to Sasnak Docks, if I was more vigilant, I could have at least had a proper goodbye. _ ” She let it all out. “ _ I’m angry at them… but, I think I’m more angry at myself. _ ”

“Ruri…” Seigyoku’s face showed all she was feeling. There was no hiding it, the way her narrow eyes softened and her ears twitched slightly. 

Even with the truth out, Ruri didn’t feel any lighter.

“I get what you’re feeling. I wanted to be at the Vytal Festival with you too, but sometimes things happen in a way that we don’t want them to.” She explained gently. “Your team may had made the decision to break Beacon’s rules, hell even go against the city itself, but I have to commend them for doing what they believed they had to do. Love for one’s family tends to cloud judgement.”

“ _ I understand why. I care about Adam, and what he’s gone through is something I can’t even imagine, but it doesn’t make the anger any less… I don’t really know what will. _ ”

“I’m not saying you have to ignore your own pain because someone else is suffering too. I’m just saying that maybe you and your friends can find a way to put the past behind and keep moving forward?” Her suggestion gave Ruri pause. 

It was something to consider. 

Nodding slowly, she replied. “ _ I’ll have to think about what can be done. Thanks, Seigyoku. _ ”

“Anytime. Don’t forget, you can always reach me if you need to.” She reminded.

As the call ended there, Ruri was left alone. Sitting there in the library, as the faint chatter of students who had chosen to use their free time to catch up to work echoed through the air, she glanced over at the window. Outside, she watched the snows of winter fall gently. 

Her sister’s words resonated with her. Maybe finding a way to repair that bridge was necessary, but what? It felt like her decisions have shattered any trust between them. 

Perhaps she could extend the olive branch? A chance for them to work past the disaster with the White Fang. 

Little did she know, she was being watched. Hidden behind the bookshelves, a pair of crimson eyes watched silently, the person who owned them having overheard the conversation between Ruri and Seigyoku. 

Slowly, Eirian pulled away. The idea planted in her mind, she knew what she had to do, recalling the many holidays she had read about in the book on Tsubaki. If she had to extend an olive branch to help her friend, she would do so. 

With that in mind, she fished her Scroll out of her pocket and dialed it, walking away quickly to avoid disturbing the other girl.

“Zanthus?” She piped up as soon as the call was answered. “I’m gonna need your help.”

Thankfully, the others on their team were quick to jump to her call. A plan set, Eirian took to rushing into the city for what she needed, having to try and remember where exactly the ice rink was. 

By the time she got there, she found Zanthus and Adam having a little fun while waiting for her. As in, Zanthus was practically on all fours while Adam watched, managing to keep himself upright easily enough while letting his friend hold onto him for dear life. It was certainly a funny sight. Heartwarming even, given their less that ideal start back in the spring. 

Together again, the three got to work. 

Tsubaki was always a topic of interest to Eirian. Such rich history in just twenty nine years, she read all she could about it, the history, the local lore and holidays, even their customs that slightly differed from settlement to settlement. The city even had their own tradition for Fuyukinen, Mistral’s winter holiday of remembrance. 

Getting what she needed, Eirian couldn’t help but giddily ramble to Adam and Zanthus while they carried the things needed back to the dorms. “I always wanted to see the Trail of Paper Lotuses.”

“What exactly is it, anyway?” Adam asked. 

“A custom from Tsubaki, it’s a custom where the residents make these cute little paper lotus and drift them down the river. The whole shore is lined with candles to light the way.” She lectured, making her way up the courtyard path that led back to the dorms. “Since Fuyukinen is a holiday of remembering those who had passed, the people of Tsubaki believe that the lotus’ beauty and the candle light lead the spirits of their loved ones back home.”

“So you think making some paper lotuses will help Ruri?” Zanthus questioned from behind them, carrying most of the things she bought, including two bags of dried herbs, flour and a whole assortment of fruit. “And where does the food come in?”

“Oh, I need that for Inkumbulo. We don’t make cute flowers, we make food and celebrate the end of the year with friends and family.”

“Seems a lot of holidays in the winter are just celebrating the fact we ain’t dead yet.” Adam mused.

Cheerfully, Zanthus added in the background. “I think it’s fun. Anything with food is a great holiday for me.”

“I can tell.” Adam joked back, earning a guilty smile from the other teenage boy before turning his attention back to Eirian. “So, what’s the plan, exactly?”

“Ruri’s gonna be in the library for a while. I can keep her distracted, but I need you two to finish the lotus flowers while I do.” She paused for a moment. “You guys know how to make paper lotuses, right?”

“I mean, I used to make flowers with Blake… That’s about it.”

“It should be close enough. It’s the thought that counts, right?” Zanthus comforted.

“Right! So, here.” She passed her bag to Adam, who awkwardly took it along with his own bag. “You guys head back to the dorms, and we’ll meet up by the river that runs near Mistral Town tonight?”

“Sure. We can’t stay out too long, remember?” Zanthus warned.

“Pffft, I ain’t gonna forget curfew.” Hopefully. 

Even with that distrustful glint to his eyes, Zanthus let her go. As he and Adam took the supplies back to their dorm, no doubt for hours of wonky looking paper flowers and many angry words from the horned Faunus, Eirian took off to go and find Ruri. 

When she reached the library, however, she found the other girl nowhere. Vanished. Any attempt would only yield confused looks or quiet rejections, hushed voices to avoid the wrath of the library lady that sat herself behind the main desk. Eirian didn’t want to wait long. Not with how close she was being watched, already nearly kicked out twice for shenanigans that she would rather forget.

As she left the library again, she thought deeply.

Maybe she could call Ruri and ask where she was?

…

No, that wouldn’t work. 

“Oooo, wait.” She muttered to herself, pulling her scroll out again as she pressed Ruri’s contact icon. “Video chat. Thank you, Atlas.”

The scroll buzzed quietly as she stared down at the dark screen. Come on, pick up…

Just when she worried that Ruri would reject her call, the screen brightened up, and on the opposite side of the scroll, she saw Ruri stare down with a surprised expression on her face. “Ruri, don’t hang up!”

“ _ Why would I hang up?” _

“Good point, anyway!” She quickly moved on. “Where are you? I thought you’d still be at the library!”

“ _ I went down to the city. _ ”

The city? 

“Really? Whatcha doing down there?”

“ _ I needed some things. I was wondering where you’d be, anyway. I thought you came here to shop around with Zanthus and Adam? _ ”

Eirian laughed nervously at that. “Oh, yeah. I went down, but we had to come back early ‘cause Adam’s leg was acting up again. You know… cold weather and all that.”

Something suddenly clicked in her mind.

“Hey, are you bundled up? I know the cold really messes you up if you’re not careful.”

The concern she had for her friend made Ruri warm up immensely. Eyes lighting up, she buried the lower part of her face in the thick scarf she wore, hiding away the lower half of her face. Though by the way her eyes wrinkled up and her shoulders lifted, she was pleased with the question.

“ _ I’m appropriately dressed for the weather. Thanks for your concern. _ ”

“Well then, if you want, I can head back down and we can look around. It’s been a while since we’ve hung out together.” 

That fear returned. As Ruri thought about the offer, Eirian stood there with bated breath. Deep down, she was scared that her friend would reject her again, going off on her own to do Gods know what. 

Relief washed over her when the Faunus girl nodded in response. “ _ I’d like that. _ ”

“Awesome!” She shouted, louder than she intended to. “Ping me your location and wait, I’ll be there as soon as I can!”

As the call ended, her scroll pinged a few seconds later with Ruri’s location flashing across the screen. Mistral Town. She could be there for something, perhaps supplies for Fuyukinen. Either way, with scroll shoved into her pocket, Eirian ran, or rather waddled, her way back to the ships as fast as she could. 

With the holidays upon them, the ships’ schedule had doubled in frequency, constantly carting students, professors, and even civilians visiting their relatives there in Beacon. While they were more crowded as a result, they were also faster, with Eirian managing to get down to the city in record time. She could get used to it.

Props went to Ruri, she was waiting patiently by the time Eirian shuffled her stiff body through the crowds.

Mistral Town. A section of the city that, at this time of year, was  _ packed  _ with people. Mostly Mistrali immigrants who came from Mistral or its many colonies, they scurried around her, carrying anything from food to clothes to even a whole folding table by the looks of one man.

Amongst them all, she could see her friend. 

Ruri was right, she did bundle up well to deal with the freezing temperatures. It was almost impossible to see her with that thick scarf wrapped around her head, hiding away her face with every inch of her body layered up. 

She looked so immaculate, wearing a blue jacket that buttoned up the right side, the bottom tied up with a sash. The bottom of her jacket reached past her thighs, hiding some of the white pants she wore that were held down by knee high boots. All her long, blue hair was covered, with only her purple eyes and some of her nose visible from behind the warm headwear. 

“Scarves are great for winter, huh?” Eirian asked in a muffled voice, signing to Ruri as she finally reached her friend. 

Ruri nodded in response. “ _ Where’d you wanna go first? _ ”

“You can decide! I’m up for anything, just keep me out of the dorms or Adam will make me do work again.”

A laugh escaped from Ruri’s lips. Her eyes sparkled for a moment, and there, the dropped guard made Eirian feel better than before. She was letting Eirian in. This was her chance to make her friend feel better.

“It’s Fuyukinen, why don’t we go and get some snow cakes?” She suggested. “I think I saw a stall around here somewhere…”

With Ruri in tow, the girls went on the search for the elusive snow cakes. 

It didn’t take too long. A few misdirections, and soon they discovered the stand that sold the delicious baked goods. With their rewards in hand, they spent most of the afternoon wandering around, enjoying the festivals that had taken to the streets. 

With banners of red and gold hanging over the streets, people swarmed from all over the city. Many flooded the restaurants, stalls, and even around the banks of the River Gillikin. Air ripe with chatter and laughter, Eirian kept Ruri close, nearly losing her friend three times in the chaos of the busy streets. 

It reminded her of the streets of Vikela. A small habitable space in the Tokoloshe Desert meant that all the Faunus who chose to live there had to practically live on top of each other. The streets were always so crammed, a person unable to walk without bumping into another habitant or some merchant’s poor stall. This was just something she was used to.

On the other hand, Ruri looked like she was seeing it all for the first time. After months of living in Beacon, she didn’t visit the city as much as Eirian or the boys, rather sticking to the safety of the Academy. 

Her eyes were full of wonder. Watching the people peddling their goods during the celebrations, she couldn't help but confess to her friend. “ _ I’ve never seen so many people in one place. _ ”

“Really?” Eirian gasped. “But you live in Tsubaki. There’s loads of people there.”

“ _ I lived in the Kashima Estate that was built on a small island near Tsubaki. Mother and Father always went into the city to oversee the celebrations, but… I wasn’t allowed. _ ”

“How come?”

“ _ It was too dangerous. My parents were scared something would happen to me. So, I used to watch the Trail of Paper Lotuses from the window of my bedroom. _ ” Even Ruri admitted to how sad it sounded when she added. “ _ It wasn’t quite the same as actually being there. _ ”

Eirian stayed silent. Her plan came to mind, wondering how far along Adam and Zanthus had gotten with making those paper flowers.

As the hours ticked by, she started to grow worried, finding herself checking her scroll occasionally in case she had missed a text from the missing teens. Nothing. 

From the tired way Ruri had started to carry herself, Eirian knew she was running out of time. 

“ _ Not that I didn’t enjoy today with you, _ ” Ruri started. “ _ But I think it’s time we call it a night and head back to the dorms. It’s getting colder by the minute, and it’s almost curfew. _ ”

Eirian couldn’t argue with her. The cold was starting to seep through her clothes, and with the skies already as black as ink, she knew that it would be best to try and get the ship back up rather than miss it and their one chance of getting back to their dorms on time. 

“Yeah, I think-” The buzzing of her scroll stopped any words from Eirian’s mouth. 

Excitement washed over her, pushing away any cold or tiredness that she might have felt just before. Yanking the scroll out of her jacket pocket, she opened it up to see a message from Zanthus.

_ It’s ready. We’re by the River Gillikin, near that restaurant you almost got banned from.  _

It was one time. The fire wasn’t even that big. 

With her face hidden by her scarf, Ruri was unable to see the wide grin on her face, though the way Eirian was practically bouncing in joy had the other teenage girl suspicious. “ _ What was that? _ ”

“Zanthus. He went into Mistral Town for something he forgot, and wanted to see if we could meet up with him before we all head back to the dorms.”

“ _ Well, I suppose it’s not too far of a walk. _ ” She shrugged. “ _ Where’d he say he was? _ ”

“By the River Gillikin, near that restaurant that sells those little fried cake things.”

“ _ The one you were almost banned from? _ ”

“For the last time, I didn’t see the waiter carrying the flaming rice wine tray.” Ruri didn’t seem to buy her excuses. 

It didn’t matter. What did was that Eirian had managed to convince her friend to come with her and meet up with Zanthus, the two turning back around to try and find the spot where their teammate was. It wasn’t too hard. Zanthus was thoughtful enough to send his location to Eirian’s scroll shortly after his text was sent, so all she had to do was just follow it straight to where he was.

And yet she still managed to get turned around twice. She even ended up on the other side of the river, somehow. 

Finally, with the help of Ruri, they ended up at the spot they were guided to. There, she spotted Zanthus standing far away from the river banks, while Adam stared off into the distance, holding a small bag of something behind him. 

Ruri didn’t miss the red haired boy’s presence. “ _ I thought only Zanthus was supposed to be here. _ ”

“Okay… you can’t be mad at me.” Eirian’s demand was met with a scathing look from the deaf girl. “I said you can’t be mad.”

“ _ This is my suspicious face. _ ”

“Eirian decided that, since you were feeling upset over the whole incident with your sister, we could do something to make you feel better.” Zanthus explained, approaching them both gingerly. “So, we made these.”

On his cue, Adam pulled the bag from behind him, opening it so that Ruri and Eirian could peer inside. There, she could see the fruits of their labour. Even Ruri couldn’t hide her surprise when she pointed out slowly. “ _ Those are paper lotus flowers. _ ”

“I know you couldn’t go home for Fuyukinen, so we decided to make some and float them down the river for our own version.” Adam offered, taking out one of the lotus flowers to hand to Ruri.

As she took it, Eirian took one too. They were done better than she would’ve thought. In all honesty, she was expecting crumpled blobs of paper compared to the gently folded flower shapes.

With her hands full, Ruri couldn’t sign. But she didn’t need to. From the look of shock and awe on her face, the others could tell simply by looking that she was touched by the effort they had gone to. 

As she held the flower in one hand, Ruri used her free one to sign. “ _ I was actually talking to Seigyoku today. She suggested that we do something together, try and be friends again. Honestly… I didn’t know what to do. But this… _ ”

Her gentle grip on the flower tightened as she wiped away unshed tears. “ _ Thank you. _ ”

“Come on,” Zanthus piped up, hanging an arm around Ruri’s shoulders as he guided her closer to the river’s edge. “Adam, grab the candle.”

Noticing Adam taking out the candles from the bad, Eirian was quick to offer. “Oh, I can help you light it-”

“No, I don’t trust you with fire.” 

_ One time.  _

Pouting, she quickly got over the quick rejection as she followed Adam towards the river edge. The water was as black as the night. Lights from town reflected on the surface, the bright moon above bathing the ground below in its silver light. Even with the frost creeping across the grass, crunching under the team’s shoes, the sight alone left Eirian stunned. 

From beside her, Ruri hovered her hands right above the freezing waters. Not actually touching, she let the lotus drop from her hands, watching as the current took it down towards the Indigo Seas. Adam and Zanthus followed suits, Adam lighting four candles and leaving them beside the river before he let his own lotus float away from his hands. 

Last was Eirian. 

She stared down at her own flower. Even if it wasn’t a holiday that her people believed in, just what the lotus meant to Tsubaki had left her wanting to hold onto it.

But she didn’t, instead letting the paper flower fall from her hands and hit the water. As it drifted away, a small fleck of white in a sea of black, she watched it solemnly, staying silent while she softly thought to herself.

_ I hope you find it, Mom. _

As all of them felt a moment of melancholy and grief, Ruri felt something deeper. As she looked at all her friends, standing next to her, putting in so much work just so she could be happy again, it warmed her heart. It hurt knowing that Seigyoku was gone, but she wasn’t alone. 

She had them. It was just something she had to remember. 

So, she slowly leaned into Eirian, grabbing her friend’s attention as she turned her head. With Adam and Zanthus next to her, they all sat there, no one muttering a word as they grouped closer together. They were more than just a team now. They were the best of friends. 

She kept that in mind when they returned to Beacon. When the two weeks of break had ended, even when the winter holidays themselves were celebrated and the new year had begun. As the month of January came to pass and they reached near the end of their first year at Beacon, Ruri found herself closer to them than ever before.

That bond between them was needed. For when the school year ended and those who could return home for the two months before the second year would begin, Ruri found herself on the receiving end of a surprise that morning. 

In the courtyard, she sat on a lone bench with Adam next to her, the two enjoying the snowfall while waiting for Zanthus and Eirian to meet up with them. That morning, the two were asked to see Professor Melina in their office. 

While they didn’t seem angry, Zanthus and Eirian suspected that it wasn’t good news.

In the meantime, Ruri could enjoy her book and silence while Adam doodled in his notepad. Curiosity pushed her desire to take a peek, but she fought it back. It would be rude to barge in and see what Adam was doing if he didn’t wish to show her first. 

The footsteps around her were heavy. Vibrations that travelled through the stone and up her feet, she could tell where everyone and everything were even without looking up from her book. 

That being said, the heavy stomping was new. 

Eyes lifting from the pages, she noticed Eirian stomping over to where she and Adam were standing. While she couldn’t hear the tone of Eirian’s voice, the look on her face was more than enough to say that she was  _ mad.  _

“I can’t believe we have to repeat Law this year!” She ranted to Zanthus, who was sticking to her side. “I put in all my work and everything! Okay, it wasn’t always on time, but that’s no reason to keep me behind!”

“We didn’t exactly do good in the practice exams, either.” Zanthus pointed out.

While she couldn’t deny what he was saying, that didn’t mean Eirian gladly accepted it either. “If they didn’t want me to get distracted by the clock, they shouldn’t have put it in the room.”

“It wasn’t ticking, you were making those noises yourself.”

“...You heard that?”

“Yes. We all did.”

As they reached the awaiting rest of their team, Adam finally put his notepad down, looking up at them with a deadpan expression. “I take it you guys failed this year.”

“It’s a scam! An injustice!” Eirian carried on ranting, waving her arms about even though her thick winter jacket constricted her body. “I demand a retrial!”

“You’re not in a courtroom, you’re not getting a retrial.” Adam scolded.

With the final word on it, Eirian deflated sadly, standing there while Zanthus patted her on the back. “We always have this year to catch up.”

Even though she was disappointed that Zanthus and Eirian wouldn’t be in their class this year for Law, Ruri didn’t lecture them or try and be superior in her own exceptional grades. Rather, she offered a comforting smile to her friend. 

However, as the conversation carried on, something in the corner of her eye caught her attention. 

Slowly, she turned towards it. In the distance, amongst the students that were either getting ready to leave for home or were simply wandering around in their free time, she saw an entire group of armed guards approaching where she was sitting. Whoever they were guarding were hidden from sight, the towering men and women dressed in armour that looked familiar.

Deep blue metal moulded into armour that covered their chest and back, hanging down in front of their legs like slats of bamboo. In the spots where the armour didn’t cover them, they wore thick black shirts tied down with bandages, holding the fabric down so it didn’t get caught on anything. Nothing was left bare, not even their faces.

That’s when Ruri recognised them. Helmets that covered their entire head, the mask designed after fish as blue and green swirls decorated the pure white surface. Guards of Tsubaki.

Her parents were here?

Immediately, she was up on her feet. She didn’t think about it. Before she even stopped to think, she was rushing towards the guards, unable to hear as Eirian called after her in confusion. 

For a moment, the guards adopted an aggressive stance. When they recognised that it was Ruri, and not some random person, rushing towards them, they parted like water, opening a way towards the nobles that they were assigned to protect. 

As she passed them, each and every one bowed low, keeping their heads horizontal to the ground even when she was no longer in front of them. 

Standing there, surrounded by all these armed people, Shinju and Hisui were visibly pleased to see their daughter approaching them. Without a word, Hisui was the first to meet Ruri halfway, holding her upper arm affectionately. “It’s so good to see you in person again, my little gemstone.”

“We came as soon as we got the news.” Shinju added, appearing by Hisui’s side with her hands hidden away in her long sleeves.

News? 

Left in confusion, Ruri had no way of asking, only able to stand there staring up at them in confusion. Before her mother could explain, her narrow eyes suddenly focused on something behind them. 

There, Ruri felt a heavy thud through the ground. As she spun around, she saw none other than Eirian on the ground, pinned under one of the guard’s long naginata as she piped up. “Hey, hey, I’m her friend! Ask her, she’ll vouch for me, right Ruri?”

“I take it this is Eirian?” Hisui asked politely.

“Yeah, that’s me! Hello there!” Even with a blade inches from her neck, Eirian still managed to smile brightly up at the old man. “Wow, your mustache really is super long.”

“I… Thank you. I actually take good care of it.” He happily replied, stroking his long mustache while Shinju and Ruri watched on with unimpressed faces.

“ _ She’s  _ the one you have been praising so much?” Shinju asked, turning to look at her daughter as the latter nodded softly. “Interesting…”

“I’ve always wanted to meet Ruri’s family! I read the entire book of Tsubaki: The City on the Water, and it’s one of the places I so badly wanna visit!” Eirian rambled on. “Oh, and it’s to see the Tsubaki soldiers I heard about. You guys were trained by Rougyoku Kashima, weren't you? I can imagine being trained by a Huntress would put one above the common soldier, huh?”

Even with the mask covering the guard’s face, the way he glanced over at his comrades, who could only shrug in response, was an amusing sight.

“Not that I didn’t want to see you guys in action, but it’s winter and the ground’s really cold. Can I get up now?”

Hisui was quick to dismiss the guard. Quickly, the naginata was pulled back and he returned to his position, unmoving even when Eirian jumped back to her feet and got up in his face.

“Masks are pretty freaky looking. How’d you guys breathe in them? Can you see? How many fingers am I holding up?” She was holding three. 

“Eirian, leave them alone.” Zanthus scolded, managing to have reached his friends with Adam in tow as he picked Eirian up and moved her away. “Sorry ‘bout that.”

“Ah, this is the rest of Ruri’s team?” Shinju questioned, approaching Zanthus with poise and dignified steps. 

As she neared him, he went stiff as a board, unmoving even when she touched a bit of his cape. “A tad… unrefined, but strong. Your other friend here, however.”

Adam nearly backed away when Shinju appeared in front of him, already holding the sleeve of his jacket to inspect it.

“I see you found another Mistrali here, Ruri.” She briefly glanced back at her daughter before talking directly to Adam. “Tell me, what part of Mistral are you from?”

“Uh, I was actually born in Mantle.”

“Mantle?” She seemed surprised at that.

“Yes, ma’am.” Adam bowed his head slightly. “My father came from Mistral. I’m not sure what part.”

“Pity. You have good manners, I’ll give you that.” Even with the compliment, Adam scowled at it, standing there silently while she turned back to Ruri. 

Still thinking about what her parents said just before, Ruri turned to Eirian and signed out what she wanted to say, watching as Eirian quickly caught on and translated to her parents. “Oh, um, Ruri would like to know what the surprise is, please.”

“Right.” Hisui glanced around. “Is there anywhere private we may talk?”

“There’s our dorms but…” Eirian looked over at the dozen guards standing close by. “I don’t know if we’ll all fit.”

“We can walk the short distance without them. Beacon is safe enough, and we trust that your headmaster has things in place in case of an attack.” Shinju brushed off, turning to her guards as she ordered them boldly. “You are dismissed. We will return to the ship no later than noon.”

The guards bowed simultaneously. As one unit, they turned and marched back to the ship docks to await for the Kashima nobles to return. 

Watching them go, Ruri looked back at her parents and gestured for them to follow her and her friends. They stuck close by, taking the time while walking to have a look around the Academy that the youngest Kashima had called her home. 

Though their arrival wasn’t as inconspicuous as Ruri had liked. Two nobles travelling with a dozen guards armed to the teeth, one would have to be blind to not notice their presence, even after the guards had left. While Ruri had started to wear more localised clothing during her time in Vale, her parents were as obviously Mistral citizens as one could be. 

The only one who could outdress her mother would be the Empress herself. 

As such, students stared as they walked by, whispering to each other with their words falling on deaf ears. It was almost embarrassing having so many eyes on her. 

At the very least, the staring wasn’t affecting her parents. In fact, they were busy being hounded by questions from Eirian, the hyperactive girl yammering away as she tried to find out all she could of Ruri’s home town. For all Shinju’s impatience towards her daughters being ‘rebellious’, she was happy to have someone so intent on learning about her home and herself.

“I gotta ask something, though.” Eirian revealed, leaning in to mutter to the older woman. “If you have pink hair and your husband has green… why do your daughters have blue hair?”

“My mother and brother have blue hair. It simply skipped over me to my children.” Shinju explained.

“Ooooooh. That makes sense.”

By the time they had reached the dorms, Eirian had asked about the history of Hisui’s fishing village, how the Maneki family grew so much in the colonies between Mistral and Menagerie, and how they manage such long and beautiful hair.

As Ruri opened the door to her dorm room, she was nearly bowled over by Eirian rushing in, quickly turning to the adults entering with a bashful explanation. “Before you ask, that is clay, not bird droppings.”

She pointed at the dried clay that had stained the carpet. Nearby, Nabk had wedged himself between Ruri’s pillow and the mattress, with only part of his beak visible from his hiding place. As soon as the door opened and his creator spoke, he shuffled out from his resting spot and flew over to her. 

Holding her arm out, she smiled warmly when he landed, talons digging into her jacket sleeve while he chirped loudly. “You’ve been asleep all day, you lazy boy.”

“What a marvellous creature!” Hisui gasped, approaching Eirian and Nabk as he felt the bird’s chest. “A living bird made of clay, why I never would’ve thought of such a thing.”

“A manipulation Semblance. I’ve seen so few amongst the Huntsmen in Mistral.” Shinju confessed.

“Well, there’s me and my dad, and I know of a pirate who makes things out of volcanic rock, then there’s the summoning ability of the Schnee Semblance.” Eirian listed off. “Oh, and I heard of one Huntress in Vacuo who can make the cutest little plant people. I don’t know how useful a Semblance like that is, but she’s very welcome in the agriculture industry over there.”

Hisui seemed more interested in Nabk than her info tidbit. Standing there in utter bewilderment, one could see the resemblance between him and Ruri, both so intrigued by the bird, and Nabk intrigued by them. 

Shinju, however, focused on more important matters. “So, this is where Headmaster Ozpin is housing his students?”

“Uh, yes, each team shares a dorm room during their time here.” Zanthus explained, moving towards the bed as he gestured to them. “We should be moving to more independent living in our third year, so this room will be going to a new team that arrives that year. Until then, we pretty much sleep, hang out and study here.”

“It’s quite… small. How can you fit all your possessions in here?” She seemed taken aback by it all.

“Uhh, we got… a closet, and some shelves.” Zanthus trailed off, seemingly unsure how to handle Shinju’s shock at their living conditions.

“Oh, I was hoping to have arrangements for some of your furniture to be sent over.” Shinju sighed in disappointment. “You have the most beautiful queen sized bed, darling.”

“ _ Queen sized? _ ” Eirian choked out, her face pale as she turned to Zanthus and hissed. “She’s practically a  _ princess. _ ”

“Damn… you guys need a son?” Ruri smacked Zanthus across the chest for that comment.

“I suppose you need some good news after having to live here all this time.” Shinju turned back to her daughter, smiling warmly while she revealed. “We have gotten into contact with Pietro Polendina, Atlas’ leading scientist in robotics and bio-science.”

“The man behind the prosthetics that saved General Ironwood’s life during the fight between Atlas and the Ankou at Hafís Ridge over a decade ago? He’s in Remnant’s Book of Records as the inventor of Atlas’ gunships, the Bullhead AND the most recent engineering plans for the Dust containers that safely hold agitated Dust!” Eirian rambled from the side.

“The very one. The list to have a personal meeting with him was over two years, but we managed to gain a place after four months of waiting.” Shinju placed a hand on her chest boastfully. “After we told him all about our youngest daughter, he offered us one of Atlas’ latest inventions in its products of disability aids.”

Where was she going with this?

Ruri was unnerved. Standing there silently, all she could do was stay quiet when her mother addressed her personally. “We’ve managed to secure you a spot for surgery in a few weeks. As soon as we got off the call with Mr Polendina, we just had to come and tell you personally.”

“After your surgery is done, Atlas is willing to let you spend your recovery time in their hospital wards. It should only be a few days, just while they make sure everything is working properly.” Hisui added.

“Surgery? What exactly is this for?” Adam spoke up, standing by Ruri’s side.

Purple eyes focused on him, Shinju explained. “Why, for her new hearing implant, of course! Ruri has always been troubled by her deafness, and we’ve protected her as best we could. Now with Atlas always improving in helping those less able, we’re able to give her a fair chance just like everyone else.”

But they didn’t even think to ask her first?

“We’ll be back in a few weeks to pick you up and take you to Atlas for the surgery.” Shinju revealed. “We’ve already talked to your Headmaster and professors to make sure none of this impacts your schoolwork. You should be fully healed for the new school year.”

“Aren’t you excited? This is a chance for you to be normal.” Hisui asked gently, placing a hand on Ruri’s shoulder.

Her eyes met his, and for a moment, she thought about being honest. No, she was not happy. No, she didn’t want the surgery, and the fact that they went behind her back to get it hurt more than any of their words did. They didn’t even realise what they had done. 

But she didn’t. Seeing them so happy and eager for her to be on even ground with everyone else, she didn’t have it in her to ruin the moment.

So, swallowing her feelings down, she faked a smile and nodded faintly. 

“Excellent. Thank you for showing us your dorm and Academy, Ruri’s team. I’m afraid that we have to leave if we want to get back to Tsubaki by tomorrow morning.” Shinju turned back to her husband. “We can’t take the bird back. Return him to his owner.”

“Such a shame.” Hisui sadly returned Nabk to Eirian, bowing slightly to her before he followed his wife back to the dorm door. 

Before she left however, Shinju paused, glancing over at Ruri with a fainter smile. “This is for your own good, darling. I hope you understand that.”

Ruri said nothing. As her parents left the room, she stood there holding onto her left arm while staring down at the ground. Everything felt too much. Like a thousand thoughts racing through her head without a second to stop and think things through. 

She almost missed the feeling of Adam’s hand on her shoulder, glancing up to see his worried face staring back at her.

“Hey,” he muttered. “You alright?”

No.

She nodded. 

Even with her answer, her friends weren't completely convinced. While Eirian returned Nabk to his perch, Zanthus joined the others as he confessed. “Do you really want this surgery? Cause by the look on your face when they told you, I’m guessing they didn’t run it by you first.”

“ _ They didn’t. _ ”

“Well, this is a pretty big thing to have. I mean, were you always deaf?” Adam questioned her.

“ _ Yes. _ ” She paused for a moment, shaking her head free of all the conflicting thoughts as she backed up onto her usual personality regarding her parents. “ _ I don’t get to reject. My parents worked hard to get me this, and I should be grateful they care enough about me to even think about it. _ ”

“I mean, they think it’s a great gift, but you don’t seem like you were given a thoughtful gift.” Zanthus pointed out. “In fact, you look like someone stomped on your cat.”

That was one way to describe it.

“ _ I appreciate the concern, but I’m fine. Honestly, it’s a smart choice to try and regain my hearing, especially if I want to be a Huntress. _ ”

“Plenty of Huntsmen live their entire careers with their disabilities.” Zanthus retorted. “Your leader’s one.”

“I don’t know… If I had a chance to regain my sight, would I want to take the chance?” Adam confessed, rubbing the back of his head in thought. “I’ve been blind in my left eye for eight years. It’s not as drastic as Ruri’s, I had my sight for a lot of my life, but to regain something that you never had in the first place? I can understand your worry about it.”

“I just don’t like the idea that she needs to get it without taking her own feelings into consideration.” Zanthus conceded.

His concern for her was appreciated. With a smile on her face, Ruri responded to his worries patiently. “ _ It was just a shock. You don’t need to worry about me. _ ”

“Okay… If you’re sure. But if you need to talk about it, we’re here.” He offered, gesturing to Adam and Eirian as he added. “We’re your friends. If you wanna reject the surgery, we’ll support your decision.”

“ _ Thank you. I’ll keep it in mind. _ ”

With that, the team decided to go out for the day to enjoy the last month of winter. Yet Ruri remained.

In the dorm alone, she sat there on her bed, stroking Nabk gently on his head while he slept in her lap. Everything was too confusing. The fear of the unknown gripped her tightly, and what was worse was her parents’ flippant attitude to it all. She couldn’t tell them no. She couldn’t tell them that she was afraid, or that them dismissing her deafness as something that could just be erased hurt her deeply.

They talked to Headmaster Ozpin about it. Perhaps, he could help her.

She had to try.


	26. Face Your Fears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With her parents gone and the choice in front of her, Ruri decides that rather than shoulder the burden alone, she would talk with Ozpin on the right path. New people joining the conversation, she now has to see what is right for her, and the choice she makes has her seeing the floating city for the first time with a friend in tow.

The air was cold as Ruri walked through the courtyard. Frost caking the scarf she had wrapped tightly around her head, her breath warm on her face with the thick layer covering her mouth. 

With the school year over, there were so little students around. Many had returned home, and those that remained had gone down to the city to enjoy their free time. The few that remain kept to themselves or their little friend groups, ignoring Ruri as she walked along silently. 

Beacon Tower was as imposing up close as it was far away. It looked like it could pierce the very skies, the wide windows of Ozpin’s office barely visible from where Ruri stood. As she paused, staring up at the impressive structure, she started to feel nervous. Not only because she couldn’t quite understand Ozpin as much as she’d like, but because this would’ve been the first time she openly talked about her familial problems to someone other than Seigyoku.

Ozpin would understand, he was a kind soul underneath that mysterious aura he gave off. If there was anyone who could help her, give advice on the situation, it would be him. 

So, as she shuffled out of the cold into the tower, she tried to keep that in mind. All the way to the elevator, inside, and as it started its descent up to the top where Ozpin’s office was, she stood there in silent loneliness. The hum of the elevator as it moved through the floors could be felt through her feet, her eyes trained on the control panel beside the closed door.

Finally, the little light reached the top. All movement stopped. For a moment, everything was still. 

There, the doors opened quickly, and Ruri stared into the office of her headmaster. 

It was the same office she had known. Yet the warm colours were gone, replaced with a cold blue haze that settled over everything, changing the once vibrant greens of the walls to a cool cyan. Behind Ozpin’s desk, the grey skies were clearly visible. White snow drifted down, some sticking to the window that was slightly frosted.

There, she saw Headmaster Ozpin. Reclined in his chair, he seemed busy with work, screens lit up all around him, but when the elevator pinged and the doors opened, he immediately looked up from the screens to Ruri.

“Miss Kashima.” He started, sitting up properly while both hands clasped together on his desk. “Please, come in.”

Quietly, she obeyed. The doors shut behind her, and Ruri approached the desk quickly, taking a seat when Ozpin offered it to her. Once she was comfortable, he was quick to get to the point. “What brings you here today?”

She pulled out her scroll, pushing down the annoyance while she typed out her words for the Headmaster. “ **I need some advice, Headmaster.** ”

“Certainly. I’ll try to help out as best I can.” Ozpin smiled warmly. “What’s troubling you?”

“ **It’s… my parents.** ” She paused for a moment, staring down at her screen as all the words she wanted to say vanished. 

Thankfully, Ozpin was patient, giving her the time to try and figure out how to actually say what she was feeling. It’d been so long. Years of holding it down, of keeping her own wants and desires second to helping her family. To finally have the chance to voice them and have them respected? It was terrifying. 

“ **They visited me today. I was happy to see them, I love them, but they didn’t even come to just visit and check up on me.** ” She explained solemnly. “ **I have been given a chance to go to Atlas, be one of the first to receive their new state of the art hearing implant.** ”

“That’s certainly a privilege. I had actually been talking to General Ironwood over Atlas’ new advancements in that field.” Ozpin confessed. “But from the look on your face, I take it you aren’t as excited as your parents are.”

Excited was the last thing she felt. 

Fingers paused on the screen. Eyes drifting to the side, she felt the whirlpool of emotions deep in her gut, a conflict that she couldn’t get under control. Slowly, she revealed with a heavy heart. “ **No. I understand their reasoning and I too sometimes think of what it’d be like. What the wind sounded, what Eirian’s singing or Zanthus’ laugh were like. But deep down, I’m… scared.** ”

There was no judgement on Ozpin’s face when she confessed that. He gave her his ear, listening to her problems as she laid them out bare, and that gave her the courage to continue.

“I can’t pretend I understand what you’re feeling, Miss Kashima.” He pointed out, taking his scroll from the spot on the desk. “But there might be someone who can give you the advice you seek.”

An eyebrow lifted, she watched as he typed away on his device. Intrigue piqued, she wanted to ask who, curious as to who could be on Ozpin’s mind at that moment. 

When he placed the scroll back on the desk, she sat there impatiently. Slowly, the screen lit up a bright blue, grabbing her attention before a hologram suddenly projected up from the scroll. A small picture no bigger than a foot tall, the person standing there wasn’t someone she had personally met before. 

Tall and broad, he stood proudly with his arms tucked behind his back, standing there in a white Atlas military overcoat that was closed in a tight collar around his neck. A bright red tie stood out against his black shirt, tucked under the light blue waistcoat that was straining against his chest. Black hair greying at the sides swept over his forehead, he watched Ruri through those piercing steel blue eyes.

“General, this is the girl I was talking about.” Ozpin introduced her, gesturing to Ruri with a hand. “The one who has been accepted onto the list for your kingdom’s new hearing implants.”

“ _ I was actually hoping to meet her in person. _ ” He confessed. “ _ It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Kashima. _ ”

Ruri moved to type out her response, only for Ironwood to quickly stop her. “ _ That won’t be necessary. I can understand MSL if you’re more comfortable talking that way. _ ”

Shocked, she quickly put her scroll away, eager to finally talk to someone who could understand what she was saying, rather than have to change just to be heard.

“ _ I’m honoured to actually talk to the Headmaster of Atlas Academy. _ ” She bowed her head. “ _ I haven’t taken up your time, have I? It looks dark over there.” _

_ “It’s the middle of winter in Atlas. It’s always dark here. _ ” Ironwood let a small chuckle at that. 

The small joke worked wonders on Ruri’s anxiety. Giggling as she placed a small fist in front of her mouth, she watched as Ironwood asked politely. “ _ From what Ozpin has told me, there’s some problems regarding your willingness to come to Atlas and have this surgery. _ ”

“ _ I mean no disrespect to you or your kingdom. It’s just… _ ” Ruri’s face fell again. “ _ I’m scared, and confused, and angry. I want the chance to live like everyone else can, but I feel like accepting this surgery is denying who I am. I was born deaf and worked so hard to get here despite it. Would accepting this aid make all my hard work null?” _

“ _ You’re scared of what you don’t know, and scared that all the effort you’ve put in will mean nothing because you’re now being given a chance to have your disability alleviated? _ ” She nodded at Ironwood’s summary.

Thoughtful, he inhaled deeply and confessed in a gentle voice. “ _ I understand these fears that you have. The desire to stand on your own two feet is something that many people like us want. Honestly, I was very similar to you when I first received my prosthetics. _ ”

That caught Ruri’s attention. Mouth slightly agape, she stared at the hologram while Ironwood told his story to her.

“ _ It was a life or death situation for myself, but when I first came to and found that half of my body was just… gone, I fully admit that I didn’t handle it well. _ ” He started, a hand brushing a stray hair away from a metal strip above his right eyebrow. “ _ Not only was it difficult physically, adjusting to the pain and fatigue that came from my injuries, but it’s hell on one mentally.  _

He seemed tired at the mention of that.  _ “You find yourself unable to do what so many others can, and so you work hard to get there on your own merit, but deep down you always wonder if who you are is affected now.” _

The fact that someone understood filled Ruri with hope. A weight lifting off her shoulders, she could finally breathe, finding that someone understood what she was feeling, what her pain was like after so many years of bearing it.

A saddened smile on her face, she responded. “ _ I never really met anyone who understood me like this. Even my leader admits that he can’t see what it’s like for someone who was born like this. _ ”

“ _ I can never understand it quite the way you do. I never had to deal with my injuries from birth, but I can at least talk to you as someone who understands what having prosthetics can do to someone who doesn’t want to be defined by them. _ ”

“ _ So… what do I do? How can I do something when it terrifies me? _ ”

“ _ You can’t let these fears control you. Whether you accept this aid or not, it has no impact on who you are as a person, nor does it downplay the energy and pain you’ve given to get where you are today.”  _

Her worries started to fade at that. Looking at it from that new lense, she could see his point, finding the confidence she desperately needed as he finished his inspiring speech. “ _ The one person you should be doing this for is not your parents, or your team, or your career. It’s for yourself. Before making this decision, ask yourself: Do  _ **_I_ ** _ want this? _ ”

Did she want it?

The answer was nowhere to be found. As she sat there in the chair, she stared down at her hands deep in thought, trying to think of what she truly wanted from this. 

As she glanced up again, she saw Ozpin addressing his fellow Headmaster personally. “Thank you for talking to her, General.”

“ _ It’s not a problem. _ ” He replied, turning his attention back to Ruri as he gave his final word. “ _ Remember, Miss Kashima. The only one who can make the right decisions for you is yourself. _ ”

With that, the hologram fizzled out. Sat there in silence, she stared at the scroll, what had just been said heavy on her mind. Ozpin didn’t speak at first. Rather, he picked up the scroll and simply moved it to the side.

“I hope you were able to find what you needed from the general.” He started, clasping his hands together again. “If there is anything else you need, don’t be afraid to ask.”

“ _ Certainly. Thank you, Headmaster. _ ” Ruri agreed, getting up from the chair as she bowed to him. 

With a small bow of his head, he allowed Ruri to leave. Back to him, she went into the elevator and stood there as the doors closed, catching one last glimpse of Ozpin before they shut completely. 

As she stood there in the elevator, she felt her mind going over the conversation. Ironwood’s words stuck with her. A place of shared ground made it easier to swallow, knowing that one who had to repair his life with only half his body gave her the strength to face the fears that tore at her. Even with that fear remaining, she could stare at it and not shrink away.

The walk back to the dorms was a short one. Rather than slinking along, she walked tall and proud, feeling her heeled boots click against the freezing stone path while she walked along. 

As soon as she returned, she wasted no time in peeling the frozen stiff scarf from her head, draping it on the radiator to dry while she removed the rest of her outer layers. Her light blue coat, the darker navy boots, she was eventually left in her sweater and pants.

It would be some time before her friends would return. Alone in the dorm room, she looked around, wondering what she could do to pass the time. 

Slowly, she focused on the bookshelf between her and Zanthus’ beds, walking over and browsing through the books that she hadn’t even touched in months. All her energy and time had gone to doing schoolwork or worrying after her team. Now that she had some time, she realised just how little she had allowed herself to relax.

Pulling one of her favourite series out from the compact shelf, she moved towards her bed with it in hand. 

There, she noticed someone had already taken his spot under her pillow.

“ _ You’re going to get crushed one of these days. _ ” She signed in frustration, watching Nabk snoozing peacefully.

He seemed so peaceful. Sleeping soundly, he didn’t awake even when Ruri sat down on the bed, leaning against the part of the pillow that he didn’t wedge himself under. 

Book in hand, she sat back and enjoyed the stories she had read countless times before. Even when she knew how the story went, the journey was always one she loved taking, watching the characters mould and grow while they faced their fears without shying away. It made her feel like she too could be strong like that. 

The conversation weighed heavily on her. The choices laid before her, she found herself drifting away constantly while trying to read, only able to focus on Ironwood’s words and what was to come in just a few weeks' time. 

By the time the door opened and her friends returned, she had all but abandoned her book once more. 

“Cold, cold, cold, cold!” Eirian stammered as she barged into the room, dragging what looked like the entire snowfall of Beacon in with her. “You promised we would get froyo if I licked that lamppost!”

“No, I said ‘Eirian, don’t lick that lampost, we’re not having froyo because it’s minus fifty degrees outside’.” Adam chided, peeling his scarf from around his neck while Zanthus walked past him.

As he pulled his frosted gloves from his hands, the feline Faunus sat down on his bed, trying to undo his boots while Eirian wasted no time in taking off her  _ many  _ layers of clothing. While they were busy undressing themselves, Adam, who had already removed his shoes and coat by the door, turned to see Ruri watching them with an amused smile on her face.

“You enjoyed yourself while we were gone?” He asked, waiting for her to nod in response before adding in annoyance. “Great, ‘cause you’re dealing with Eirian next time we go out.”

“I can’t feel my tastebuds.” Eirian mumbled to herself as she struck her tongue out gingerly.

A short giggle was Ruri’s only response. It didn’t last long, the moment of glee fading when her conversation with Ozpin came to mind. 

When her face fell, Adam was the first to notice. While he removed his red sweater and stood there in a black shirt, he was clearly concerned, approaching her with a small frown. “Hey… You doing alright?”

“ _ I… I could be better. _ ” She confessed. 

“Wha, wait, what happened?” Eirian joined in, hopping over to Adam’s side as she fought with removing her thick sweater. “Is it about your parents before?”

Ruri nodded solemnly. “ _ I actually went to go and see Headmaster Ozpin. _ ”

“Right,” Adam slowly shared a look with Zanthus, who had finally managed to take off most of his outerwear. “And how did it go?”

“ _ Well, he actually managed to let me talk with General Ironwood, about the procedure my parents acquired for me. _ ” She explained. “ _ He helped me think some things through. Opened my eyes on what I really felt about the surgery, my deafness, and my parents. So, I’ve decided what I wanted to do. _ ”

“That’s great! What is it?” Eirian asked.

Ruri paused. Hands raised in the air, she thought deeply about what she wanted to say, what her decision was after agonising over it for hours. 

“ _ I want to have the surgery. _ ”

Her team were silent. All three of them, stunned with her decision, just looked at each other, none of them quite knowing how to respond to Ruri’s answer.

Finally, Adam was the first to speak. “I think it’s a hard choice to make for anyone. The fact that you want to do something that is honestly frightening is a brave thing to do.”

“ _ I’m still scared, but… I think it’s the right choice for myself. No one else can decide that for me. _ ”

“Well, how about one of us goes with you when you leave?” Eirian suddenly offered.

That surprised not only Ruri, but the others on their team. Adam suddenly turned his head to look down at her, he was just as stunned by it, his one visible eye widened visibly. 

“Can you even bring someone with you to Atlas?” Zanthus piped up.

“ _ I’m not sure. Perhaps, if I feel like I need it during my recovery. _ ” Ruri confessed, turning to Eirian as she added. “ _ Would you be willing to come with me? _ ”

“Sure thing! I always wanted to see the floating city, and if you need someone by your side, I’d be glad to help!” Eirian accepted, flashing a thumbs up across her chest with a huge grin. 

Though that lessened Ruri’s worries, Adam seemed bothered. A deep frown on his face, he was quick to voice his opinion. “I… I’d offer to come, but…”

His voice died before he could even finish his sentence. 

Quietly, Ruri closed her book, placing it by her side on the bed while she got up to her feet. Approaching Adam, she was quick to offer him what comfort she could give. A hand on his shoulder, a gentle gesture, she smiled sadly when his gaze met hers.

“ _ You don’t have to explain yourself. _ ”

With her understanding, that small smile returned to his face. A small gesture. Yet it was the most Adam had really given anyone, and after months together, his team came to see it as a sign of content for him. 

Suddenly, Zanthus piped up behind them. “Maybe you should tell your parents the plan before they come here and find they got an extra passenger?” 

“Good idea. Don’t wanna step on anyone’s toes.” Eirian agreed.

While it was a sensible idea to inform her parents that she wanted Eirian to join her, the thought of it filled Ruri with dread. She knew her parents wanted to be supportive, and they didn’t have much faith in the world when it came to the safety of their youngest, but it was aggravating trying to convince her mother of anything.

Still, she knew it would only be worse if she stayed quiet and sprung it on them the day they would go to Atlas. 

So, with a dejected nod, Ruri moved towards her winter coat and rummaged through the pockets for her scroll. With it in hand, she sat down on her bed, leaving it lying on the thick duvet, and pressed the number of her parents. 

The rest of her team remained quiet. While Eirian sat next to her so as to interpret for Ruri’s parents, Zanthus and Adam kept to the background, sitting on the former’s bed. Finally, the phone call was answered.

Rather than the familiar background of her childhood home, all Ruri could see behind her parents were the seats of their personal ship and some of the interior. 

“You’ve rang us so soon. Is something wrong?” Shinju asked worryingly.

As Ruri signed her response, Eirian was the one to speak. “She’s fine. She just wanted to talk to you two about the surgery in Atlas?”

“What’s the problem? Did something come up?” The older woman asked.

“No, no, she just spoke with General Ironwood, then.” Eirian explained, gesturing to Ruri. “She wants the surgery, but she wanted to tell you guys that she wants to bring a friend with her.”

“A friend? Who?” Hisui questioned, leaning closer to his wife to see the screen properly.

“That would be me, hello!” She waved awkwardly as she said that.

Unsurprisingly, Shinju seemed distrustful of the decision. “Are you sure you want to bring her, darling?”

“ _ Eirian’s my friend. _ ” Ruri insisted. “ _ I trust her, and I want a friend to be with me in Atlas. _ ”

“Aww, I’m her friend.” That was certainly one thing to focus on, Eirian. 

“Well, if that’s what makes you comfortable, then that is what’s most important.” Hisui conceded.

Even Shinju sighed and nodded at that. “I agree. We’ll return in a few weeks to go to Atlas, make sure you and your friend are ready to go. We don’t want any delay.”

“We’ll be ready and waiting for you!” Eirian grinned, saluting to the scroll while Ruri held her face in her hands. 

While Hisui seemed amused by Eirian’s antics, Shinju did not. For a moment, she looked exactly like Ruri did whenever someone did something stupid, staring at the dark skinned girl with unamusement clear on her face.

“Right.” She responded flatly. “I will see the maids in our Atlas home set up the guest bedroom for Eirian, then.”

“An… Atlas home?” Eirian’s face paled at that. 

“Of course? Where did you think we were staying while Ruri recovered from the surgery?” Shinju chuckled at that. “It’s only a small abode, sadly. Our house in Vacuo is most exquisite. You can look over the entirety of Isidis City from the balcony.”

“ _ You guys have a house in VACUO?! _ ” Eirian was practically having a fit where she sat.

While Shinju was confused by Eirian’s reaction, Hisui turned to his wife and pointed out calmly. “Not everyone can understand your lifestyle, dear.”

“Oh, right. My apologies, I had no intention of coming across as bragging.” She apologised. 

“You guys still need a son?” Zanthus’ offer in the background was met with a rough slap to the back of her head from Adam. 

His question went ignored as Shinju turned her attention back to her daughter. “We’ll see you soon, then.”

“ _ Goodbye, Mother. Goodbye, Father. _ ” She signed back. 

And with that, the phone call ended. 

A dark screen stared back at her. Silent, Ruri said nothing, only focusing on the weight that lifted from her chest. With everything sorted for the upcoming date, she could focus on just relaxing, using the time she had earned to just have fun with her friends before the second year of Beacon would begin. 

“Well,” Zanthus piped up in the background. “What’d we do now?”

Everyone looked at each other. None answered immediately, with Eirian pinching her chin with a thumb and finger.

Suddenly, she answered. “I want froyo.”

Zanthus laughed at that, though Adam was less than impressed by her insistence to keep trying to get the forbidden frozen treat. 

While they didn’t go back out for the desserts that Eirian so desperately wanted, they did end up passing the time with a few games on Eirian’s scroll, reading, even going down into the living room on the ground floor and enjoying time with some of the students. While Julia and many still kept their distance from Adam and his team, there were a few that reciprocated their efforts in making friends.

Time moved quickly. Before Ruri knew it, the weeks she had to have fun were over, and the day had come for her to leave the Academy and go to Atlas for the surgery.

As she stood on the landing pads for ships coming to and from Beacon, she watched as Eirian bounced up and down in anticipation. Her twin buns on the top of her head swaying with the movement, her grin was hidden by her blue and silver striped scarf, yet the way her eyes lit up was clear for all to see.

She was excited, immensely so. Ruri was too, both to see Atlas and to finally be able to hear, but that fear still clung to her heart. 

Even with Adam and Zanthus waiting with them, she didn’t let that fear show. Instead, she watched as Eirian rambled away to the blonde beside her. “I never got to see Atlas personally! I’ve always read about its conception before the Great War as a part of Mantle were lifted into the sky through the extensive use of Gravity Dust and machinery!”

“Yeah, it’s definitely a monument to  _ teamwork. _ ” Adam muttered bitterly as he crossed his arms.

Zanthus glanced behind him, watching Adam stewing away with a saddened frown. Saying nothing about the bitter comment, he turned his attention back to Eirian and Ruri, trying to keep the mood light as he pointed out. “At least you two will get to see the northern lights while there. I heard it’s always a sight to see.”

“Oh, I never even thought about that! We should be able to see them from your parents’ house!” Eirian quickly spun around to Ruri. “I can’t wait! Aren’t you excited?”

Though the scarf wrapped around her head meant that most of her face was hidden, Ruri still smiled gently at the question. A short nod as her response, she watched Eirian jump in the spot and turn back around to Zanthus, likely chatting his ear off about Atlas and its colourful history. 

Ruri didn’t pay much attention. There was little time to dwell, as soon the winds picked up, and above them, she could see a familiar sight descending down onto the launch pad. 

Her parents’ ship. 

As soon as it landed, the door opened and there, atop the short flight of stairs that slid down to the ground, her parents stood above her. Neither moved to disembark the ship, waiting patiently as one of their servants walked down the steps and immediately approached Ruri and Eirian. 

Without a word, they took the luggage and walked back up into the ship. Eirian seemed bewildered, only able to glance over at Ruri while the latter simply shrugged. 

There wasn’t much time left to dawdle. As Ruri turned around to Adam and Zanthus, she saw them standing together, the latter visibly saddened that his friends will be gone, even if it was only for a week or so.

Gently, he patted her on the shoulder. “It’s gonna go alright, okay?”

The comfort was appreciated. Feeling the warmth of his hand on her shoulder, even through her thick coat, she nodded faintly and turned around to Adam. There were no words shared. There didn’t need to be, Adam simply giving a short nod and a small smile as his farewells. 

While Ruri turned to go and meet her parents on the ship, Eirian practically tackled Zanthus to the ground, holding him in a tight hug while promising. “I’ll take loads of pictures for you to see when we get back.”

“I know you will.” He joked back, holding her up with her feet barely scraping the ground. 

By the time he put her back down, Ruri had already walked up the stairs and met up with her parents. Shinju happily welcomed her inside, walking back into the warmth of the ship interior while Hisui guided his daughter in after her. Eirian, on the other hand, had to practically run up after them, nearly tripping over her own feet before she stumbled into the ship.

With Ruri sitting down next to her father, Eirian was quick to wander around, looking at the expensive looking seats and accessories with a look of wonder. “Woah, this place is sure decked out.”

“You might want to take a seat before the ship takes off, Miss Esna.” Shinju suggested, gesturing to an empty seat next to Ruri.

Gingerly, Eirian obeyed, sitting down with a nervous laugh. 

Ruri didn’t react. In deep thought, she looked over her parents’ laps out of the window, managing to see Adam and Zanthus still standing where they were even when the door had shut and the engines vibrated loudly. 

With a wave, she felt the hum of the ship through her feet and hands, the sensation growing with each passing second. Soon enough, the ship lifted from the ground and those who stood before it looked like tiny specks; little ants moving around the dull grey and white of Beacon’s courtyard. 

Even when the ship pierced the layer of white clouds, she didn’t stop staring down at the ground. Wondering. 

It would take hours before the ship would arrive at Atlas. During that time, Eirian had wasted no time in trying to find out all she could before they would arrive at the frozen kingdom. She could barely keep herself in her seat. Even when the servants came with food for the long journey, she fumbled with the chopsticks, still trying to converse with Hisui while he patiently sat there and ate.

“I never knew you guys were so rich to have so many homes in the different kingdoms.” She confessed with a shrimp tail halfway in her mouth. “Do you have any in Menagerie?”

“Sadly not. While we are looking to expand the family business into Menagerie so we can tap into its immense metal veins underneath the Tokoloshe Desert, I’m afraid Vikela’s elders have been less than willing.” Shinju sighed. 

“The metal veins? Oh, you mean where Vikela’s metalsmiths get our ore from!” Eirian revealed, lifting her arm up to show the silver bracelets she was always wearing under her jacket sleeve. “I got these for my thirteenth birthday. We believe the silverite ore is the blood of the Titans, giants that live deep underground and have been around since the beginning of time.”

“Silverite? Those are some expensive ores, they are hardly found anywhere else in Remnant.” Shinju gasped. 

Awed, she lifted Eirian’s arm, taking a closer inspection of the bracelets. “These would go for a fortune in our current market.”

“Uhhh, they’re not really for sale.” Eirian nervously retorted, pulling her arm away as she tried to explain. “The silverite ore isn’t something Vikelan people want to be taken. It’s important to us and our culture, so I don’t think the elders will like it very much if people come and try to take it just for money.”

“Such a sad thing. These bracelets are truly immaculate.” Shinju praised, letting the topic go after that. 

For the rest of the journey, it was certainly quieter. Even Eirian’s own energy started to leave by the time the skies had turned dark and night had fallen. 

While those around her settled down for a short rest, Ruri found herself wide awake. The lights inside the ship had dimmed down, a low aqua colour that danced on the ceiling like water, lighting everything up just enough that one could see where they were going without bumping into anything. 

Leaning back in her seat, she found herself staring out of the window, watching the clouds rolling by lazily as the shattered moon shone brightly against the inky blackness of the skies. It had a certain beauty to it. Captivating almost. 

She wondered how Adam and Zanthus were. The long yearning to return sat heavy in her heart, the poor girl keeping quiet while she stared at the stars sadly. She had hoped they were alright, simply taking the week she was gone in their stride and just trying to have fun. Adam especially worried her. 

While having him with her crossed her mind, she knew he hated Atlas. She wouldn’t drag him there willingly. 

And Eirian was her close friend too. She trusted her friend to be there for her, knowing that Eirian just wanted to help, and honestly? It helped more that her friend was there than her own parents. 

Thin lips pulled into a deep frown, she pushed those thoughts away, trying to focus on what was to come. She loved her parents. She wouldn’t lie and say she hated them. Yet when she was scared or desperate for comfort, the first people she thought of were no longer them. They were Seigyoku, her friends, Ozpin or Glynda or Cas. 

The fact that her parents didn’t even come to mind gave her pause.

Suddenly, Shinju awoke beside her, cat ears trained on the speaker that was hung over the door leading to the cockpit. While Ruri couldn’t hear what they were saying, it wasn’t long before Eirian filled in the blanks for her. 

“We’re here.” She gasped in excitement, shaking Ruri by the shoulders before practically face planting the window. “We’ve reached Atlas!”

Quickly, Ruri too tried to look through the window, peeling Eirian’s face from the glass before they both pressed their head together, staring through the tiny window as their destination was right in front of them. 

Emerging from the thick cover of clouds, the floating city of Atlas was a sight to behold. 

A mass of earth that had floated up into the skies, all that kept it tethered to the city of Mantle below were thousands of cords attached to the bottom of the hulking city, stretching all the way down to where a massive crater sat on Mantle’s edge. As the ship came closer, giant clumps of Dust crystals jutted out of Atlas, glowing faintly with pulses of purple radiating from the crystal. 

The city itself was bathed in blue light. A cyan hue that sat on the entire kingdom, the tall walls of hard light kept those safe from Grimm and dangerous creatures that inhabited the vast tundras down below. 

When the ship approached the city, those very walls parted. Hexagon shapes faded to nothing, a space as big as the ship itself appeared, letting the transport slip right through before the walls closed again. As they flew down to the main hub where all transport reported to, Eirian suddenly pointed down with wide eyes. “Look, Atlas’ robotic soldiers! I heard they’re starting production on a new version.”

On the ground, it was hard to miss the soldiers. Black beings with masks that glowed crimson red, they were honestly terrifying to look at. How anyone could see them and feel safe was beyond Ruri’s comprehension.

And yet people did. All around them, humans dashed about, getting the countless ships that came into Atlas unloaded, loaded and set off again, letting them go on their unknown journey as the workers moved onto the next one. It was all so organised. Scarily so, like it was done by machines rather than actual people. 

Finally, the ship they were on lowered down to the ground. A few tense minutes passed. The hum of the engines died, and sitting there, all was silent for Ruri. 

There, the door finally opened. Two soldiers boarded the ship, their guns pointed to the ground while another woman led them in. As they stopped and turned to Ruri and those with her, she could see that while the soldiers were the same robots from before, the woman was clearly human, and she was quick to speak. 

“Kashima family?” She asked sternly, continuing when Shinju nodded in response. “We’ve been waiting for your arrival. This way, I will lead you to Doctor Polendina’s practice where we’ll get your daughter ready for surgery.”

“Wait, it’s happening immediately? It’s already night time.” Eirian pointed out of the window.

“Doctor Polendina is a busy man. Anyone is lucky enough to have an appointment so soon, especially those like the family you’re following around.” Shinju’s ears folded back angrily at that. “There’s little time to waste. Come.”

A spin of her heels, and the woman marched back off the ship, quickly followed by the soldiers. Ruri felt that nervousness return. It worsened, a crippling pain in her stomach when she saw how angry and insulted her mother looked, but rather than explode on the woman, she turned as Hisui placed a hand on her shoulder. 

Ears perked up at that. Her head turning to him, Shinju said nothing as they shared a look between each other. With a deep breath, she let that anger go, rather bringing Ruri and Eirian close to her while they disembarked from their ship. 

Surrounded by soldiers did little to calm one’s anxiety, especially when they were watched by those featureless faces. 

Subconsciously, Ruri found herself holding onto Eirian’s hand. Fingers clasped together, she felt Eirian tighten her grip, refusing to let go while they travelled through the docking station of Atlas and into the main city itself.

Thankfully, they weren't expected to walk the entire way to Pietro’s practice. Soon enough, they were boarded onto a train, the carriage filled with passengers who looked completely at home in the rich city. Women and men dressed in expensive outfits, adorned with jewellery and accessories that shone in the city’s blue street lights.

While Ruri and her family rivalled their elaborate outfits, the fact still remained. They were the only Faunus in the carriage. 

At least, the only Faunus that weren't standing by waiting on said Atlas citizens. 

Even Eirian was uncomfortable with the sights around them. Crimson eyes focused on the Faunus servants that were carrying a rich woman’s bags, she said nothing, did nothing, rather turning away with furrowed eyebrows and a deep frown. As she watched, Ruri shared those same emotions, but deep down, she knew that Eirian felt like she had no right to connect to the very Faunus before them. 

To everyone there, she was just a human girl.

Their guide to the city was barely conversational. As she stood by where Ruri and her family were sitting, she just watched the city pass by while the train silently travelled along the tracks, never uttering a word to them until the train came to a slow stop. 

“This way.” She ordered, wasting no time in unboarding from the train. 

With her parents guiding her, Ruri quickly took Eirian’s hand and led her off the train, eager to just get away from the humans who stared at them. Eyes that made her skin crawl. In all honesty, she just wanted to go home, but the chance was there for her, and she refused to let a bunch of Atlesian snobs take it from her. 

It wasn’t hard to miss Pietro’s practice. Atlas was a city of skyscrapers, and the home of the famed doctor and scientist looked like every other one in the kingdom. Yet above the door, the words  _ Polendina Practice  _ shone brightly in green lights, accompanied by the logo of a cricket. 

“Here we are.” The woman leading them piped up, turning to Ruri and her family as she added. “I will log you in at the receptionist’s desk, so while I deal with the paperwork, I am trusting that you and your daughter can go up to the fourth floor and talk to the doctor himself. He should explain the procedure before putting you in your own room.”

“We appreciate the cooperation.” Shinju snapped back harshly, taking Ruri by her hand as she shoved past the woman. 

Even with the rough movement, she didn’t chase after Shinju or try to start a fight. Honestly, it relieved Ruri that she didn’t, wanting to just meet Doctor Polendina and see what was in store for her. 

But beside her, she saw her mother’s ears dip again. There wasn’t anger in her purple eyes. Rather, there was sadness, even with Hisui and Eirian seeming like nothing was wrong. It made Ruri nervous. She wanted to ask what was wrong, but something held her tongue. 

Staying quiet, she took her surroundings in as they entered the towering building. 

Inside was completely clean. With greyish blue walls and white floors, there was nothing decorating the main waiting room save for a few plants that were meticulously placed around. Even the furniture were dull and monotonous, any sign of colour washed out to make a sterile environment around them. 

Shinju completely ignored the receptionist, instead walking down the hallway with Ruri in hand as she turned to Hisui. “The sooner we leave this kingdom, the better.”

“We just have to bear it a while longer for Ruri.” Hisui muttered back.

The hallways of the practice were filled with busy practice staff. Nurses walking past, surgeons being called into theatre, the building was full of life as these people worked late into the night. 

Finally, Ruri felt her mother stop in her tracks, her hand gripping her daughter’s as they looked at a closed there. There on the top, a sign reading  _ Doctor Pietro Polendina  _ was screwed into the wood, the metalwork shimmering in the fluorescent lights. 

Shinju knocked once and waited. While Ruri couldn’t hear anything, she followed her mother’s lead when she opened the door quickly, ushering her child, husband and Eirian in before closing the door behind them. 

If there was one word Ruri could use to describe Pietro, it was… warm. After only being in Atlas for such a short time, she would’ve expected a doctor like everyone else in the practice. Stern, to the point, and wore dull colours. Yet Pietro was none of those things. 

A chubby man with dark skin and greying, fluffy hair, he was dressed in such rich colours. Yellow shirt, a mahogany jacket, even a cute pink bow that was tied tightly around his collar, he was bright and warm, sticking out among all the cold and lifeless walls that made up his office. Greenish yellow eyes looked up when he heard the knock, smiling brightly as Ruri and her family entered.

“You folks are certainly timely.” He joked, gesturing to the seats beside his desk. “Please, take a seat. I take it this is the girl I’ve been hearing so much about?”

“You’ve heard of us?” Eirian replied in shock.

“Why, of course! I work personally with the general himself, and he had been singing praises of Miss Kashima here, especially of her impressive grades and skills in Beacon Academy.” Pietro chuckled at that. “Between you and me, I think he wanted you to attend Atlas, Miss. Ol’ James is always keeping an eye on the other Academies’ competition.”

“Did you hear that, Ruri? The general was talking about you. Oh, that is so exciting!” Eirian was practically shaking Ruri off her seat with how enthusiastic she was. 

As Pietro moved from behind his desk, Ruri was surprised to see that he wasn’t walking himself. Rather, the chair he was sitting on moved by itself, the wheels replaced with three legs on either side that moved in unison, resembling an insect rather than a wheelchair she was used to seeing. 

Remembering why she was here, she forced herself to focus as Pietro carried on the conversation. “But that’s a matter for another day. I’m sure after such a long journey, you and your parents are eager to hear what’s in store with this surgery?”

“We were actually hoping you could explain it? Just so we understand what it is exactly that you’re going to be doing to our daughter.” Shinju insisted.

“Of course, I’ll try to explain as best I can.” Pietro agreed, clearing his throat as he coughed. “We’ve had hearing aids for years now. Atlas was the first to pioneer in this industry, but I wanted to create something a bit more streamline, easier to implant use, especially for those who don’t have… ears.”

Ruri covered the fins that replaced her ears in embarrassment. Next to her, she noticed Eirian muttering to her. “I think they suit you.”

“As you can see with this diorama that I’ve created to show patients such as yourself, the implant itself looks like seashells, so I personally like to call it the Conch Implant.” Pietro chuckled at that name. “A little silly, I admit, but it tends to ease people in when they’re about to have it stuck in their head.”

“Her head?!” Eirian blurted out.

With the diorama in hand, Pietro looked over at the other girl with a raised eyebrow. “Why, yes. The implant is meant to be suitable to all who need it, regardless of physical differences. As such, I will have to drill into Miss Kashima’s head just behind the ear, so I can get access to the auditory cortex in her temporal lobe.”

The scientific words he was using were lost on Eirian. “What’s that?” 

“Basically part of the brain that controls a person’s senses, including their hearing. My invention needs to be connected to that part of the brain itself, since Miss Kashima has no inner ear canal for me to implant a hearing aid that way.” He elaborated.

“Is it because she has fins?” Eirian pointed at Ruri’s ears, before pointing up at Hisui who had sat down next to her. “Wait, why isn’t her dad deaf too?”

“My fins are only on the rim of my ears.” Hisui explained, moving his head to show that, sure enough, he had normal human ears, with the rim of the outer lobe grown to resemble fins similar to Ruri’s. “It’s not uncommon for aquatic Faunus to have full fins instead of ears when they’re born. My mother and two of my brothers had the same issues.”

“It’s great that we now have the resources to help those who need them.” Pietro pointed out.

Something crossed Ruri’s mind. Tapping Eirian on the shoulder, she signed what she wanted to say to her, watching as she turned back to the doctor. “Um, Ruri wanted to know about the downsides to the implant?”

“Right, of course, silly me.” Pietro quickly admonished himself, putting his fake implant back on his desk before addressing Ruri directly. “There are obviously risks involved with the surgery, as there usually is. The chance of anything going wrong is very minimal, so while I don’t want you to worry, I need to make sure you understand the risk.”

Nodding in response, she sat there as she carried on. “Now, with the transplant itself… I’m afraid I couldn’t make it foolproof. As I have to cut into your skull and brain to connect the implant, there will be risk of infection during the healing process. Afterwards, the skin should heal over and the metal should only be visible.”

“So that’s it, right?” Shinju jumped in.

“Not exactly. You will have to return to Atlas so I can do repairs around every fix years, which is a lot sooner than most of our other prosthetics or aids, but it was the longest I could make the Conch Implant last.” Pietro seemed more serious at that, his cheerful smile fading when he insisted. “There will also be chronic pain around the sight of the implant, and if damaged, you will lose your hearing again. Obviously, in certain weather, the pain can worsen and I find that with patients who have prosthetics, sweating can irritate the area.”

The more he listed off the problems, the more Ruri was starting to doubt herself. 

“But, I have been working on something that could be completed next year.” He revealed. “I understand that you are mute as well?”

“ _ Yes. _ ”

“While sign language is obviously a valid way of communication between you and others, I’m afraid the world hasn’t quite caught up yet in learning it. So, I wanted to design a gadget that can help those who are mute talk with people who might not otherwise understand them.”

“Interesting, what is it?” Shinju asked. 

His chair spun around, quickly moving back towards Pietro’s desk as he rummaged through the drawers. While he did so, Ruri glanced over at Eirian, the other girl watching the doctor intently, curious as to what he could possibly have in store for them.

Finally, he turned back around with something in his hand. A small black box, no bigger than a couple of inches in length and the width of an inch, she could see the reflective screen built into it.

“It’s still a prototype, but I’m hoping that by finding a way to connect it to a patient’s temporal lobe, I can isolate the electric impulses that control one’s speech and translate it in here.” He passed it to Ruri to look over. “As your implant will already be connected to your temporal lobe, I’m hoping I can use that as a sort of ‘gateway’ for this.”

She didn’t know what to say. While she was fine with sign language, the truth was that hardly anyone knew it outside her team, and having to find a different way just to be heard was difficult and aggravating. 

To finally be heard, it was something she found herself liking the idea of more and more. 

“Obviously, building it to be easy to carry around means that I’ve had to sacrifice some sturdiness also. So these tend to be quite fragile, and given your line of work as a Huntress, it’s definitely at a risk of breaking.” Pietro warned, taking the prototype back when Ruri offered it. “We can’t make aids perfect just yet sadly, nothing will ever work better than nature herself, but I will try as hard as I can.”

“That’s all we can ask, Doctor.” Shinju replied gratefully. “Now, if you don’t mind, I think Ruri would like to get prepared for the surgery. She’s obviously eager to return back to Beacon and the rest of her team.”

“Right, right. If you would like to follow me, Miss Kashima, I can show you the room you’ll be staying in for the few days just while we monitor your state.” Pietro gestured for Ruri to follow him. 

As she looked behind at her family, she found her mother keeping Eirian with her and Hisui, explaining to Ruri gently. “We’ll get your friend settled at the house. Once you’re awake, we’ll come and make sure you’re alright.”

Even though she nodded, Ruri didn’t want them to go. She wanted, no, she  _ needed  _ Eirian with her, that bright energy and smile that burned all the darkness away, she didn’t want to sit in a room waiting for something that terrified her to the core. 

But before she could find the courage to speak up, they were gone, and she was left alone as Pietro led her to the room she would be staying in. 

Just like everywhere else in the building, it was cold and blindly white. The smell of the cleaning solution was strong in her nose. So much so, it nearly knocked Ruri off her feet when she entered the room, yet Pietro carried on like he couldn’t smell a thing. With that same smile on his face, he turned to her and gestured to the white bed beside him. 

“I know it’s not what you rich girls are familiar with, but I find them comfortable all the same.” He tried to joke. 

When she didn’t laugh, his smile turned more awkward. As he rubbed the back of his head, he let the missed joke go, and instead focused on more important things.

“The nurses should be coming around soon to prep you. There’s gowns in the closet there for you to change into, you can put your own clothes in there until you are discharged from here.” 

Nodding to show she understood, she simply walked past Pietro, approaching the wardrobe he gestured to just then. With the doors opened, she grimaced at the look of the gowns that hung there limply. From the feel of them, the fabric itself was thin and wasn’t exactly like the expensive silk she was used to in her nightgowns. 

Still, she wouldn’t complain. Quickly looking over her shoulder, she found that Pietro had vanished. All alone, she got to changing into the gown. 

She was right, the fabric was not the best quality. Even in a city of riches like Atlas, some of the things they made were meant to be on the cheap side, though Ruri felt more exposed with how it stopped halfway down her thighs. When she glanced down, she could see some of the scales that decorated her body peeking out.

At least the socks weren't too bad. 

Quietly, she sat down on the bed. Feeling the mattress sink underneath her, the clean covers under her hands, she looked out of the window that were partially covered by the blinds and watched as people rushed by. 

In that moment, she felt completely alone. None of the sounds reached her. Sitting there without a word, she could hear the thundering sound of blood in her head, the muffled sounds that she had grown used to, but none of the clarity was there. It melded all together, and the fact that it would soon change dawned on her more than it had ever before. 

She was excited, and she was scared.

But most importantly, she was ready. For herself. 

Back in Beacon, her friends too were scared, but not for themselves. 

Zanthus couldn’t pull himself away from the window of their dorm. Night had long fallen, and while the students that they shared the building with had long gone to sleep, he had taken it upon himself to sit on the windowsill and watch the world outside his window. 

The moon was bright that night. Shattered pieces drifting from the main segment, trails of fine dust visible against the black skies, he watched it silently while his thoughts drifted.

Ears pointed towards the sound of Adam’s voice as he piped up. “They’re gonna be okay, you know.”

“I know… Still, I can’t help but worry.”

“It’s alright to worry about your friends, but not to the point where you’re not even trying to sleep.” He turned to see Adam sitting up in his bed. “I get that you’ve always had trouble sleeping, but worrying yourself sick isn’t going to help either.”

“Eh, it’s been like this for years. Every time I try, I just… go back there.”

His voice dropped at that. Around him, the air felt heavy, weighing down on him as he tried to fight the thoughts clawing their way back into his mind. 

From beside him, he listened as Adam comforted him. “You’re not back there now. You’ll never have to go back there.”

“Try telling my head that. Whenever I try to let my guard down, try to just get some sleep, it’s like all my brain wants to do is replay every little fucked up thing that’s happened to me.” Ears flat against his head, Zanthus pulled himself further in, his tail twitching from where it hung down from the windowsill. 

As he shoved his lower face into his crossed arms, he mumbled out tiredly. “I just want one night.”

Adam didn’t say anything at first. Zanthus didn’t expect him to, knowing that deep down he was just as lost on what to do as Zanthus himself was.

Yet, much to his surprise, Adam offered. “You wanna bunk with me?”

“Bunk?” He met Adam’s gaze with his own.

“Yeah,” he started, brushing some stray red curls from in front of his face. “Back in the White Fang, a lot of the kids slept together. After everything we went through, it was really the only time we felt safe.”

For a moment,he seemed nostalgic, even chuckling to himself as he confessed. “Ilia was one of the youngest. She was only with us for a year or so before I left, but I remember her always taking everyone’s blanket. It was never warm enough for her, so eventually she decided to slip into Blake’s bed for warmth.”

The mention of Blake quickly nulled any happiness he got from the memory. Dejected, he added in a saddened tone. “They were good friends, looking back. I wish…”

He never finished that sentence.

From where he sat, Zanthus mulled over the offer, finding himself accepting before even really thinking about it. “Sure. Anything could help, honestly.”

Hopping down from his spot by the window, he was slow to approach the bed. Adam was offering. He was being a friend, a good friend, seeing someone he cared for in need of comfort. But the idea of sharing a bed with him made his heart beat rapidly and his face flush red. 

All he could think about what he talked about with Seigyoku months ago. 

Sure enough, when he laid down on the bed with Adam, feeling the other back flushed with his own, he could feel the heat radiating off his own body at the contact. There was no more contact besides the feeling of Adam’s pyjama shirt against Zanthus’ back, but even that was more than enough.

From behind him, he heard Adam pipe up. “You coming down with something?”

“N-No. Maybe, I dunno.” He stammered back.

A deep hum as his response, Adam thought nothing more of it, rather settling down for the night with a quiet. “Hmmm. Might wanna see the nurse tomorrow, just to make sure.”

“Yeah… I’ll do that.”

Even though he was happy that Adam didn’t press further, knowing that he wasn’t as flustered over sharing the same bed as him, starting to question the real possibility of Adam not reciprocating the same feelings he could feel building up in his heart. 

No, it was a childish thing to get about. While he was panicking over a crush, his friends were gone, a whole kingdom away while one was getting serious surgery. He should be worried for them, not a love life that he wouldn’t even get a chance at. But perhaps… he could try and find room for both problems?

As he laid there silently, he could hear Adam gently breathing beside him. The horned teen never snored. In all the time they’ve shared a room together, it was Eirian that nearly deafened Zanthus every night. 

Adam himself was silent. When he was awake, when he was asleep, everywhere. It was like he was just a shadow, staying in the background before making himself known. 

Slowly, he looked over his shoulder. Even in the dark, he could see Adam’s back, watching the way his shoulders raised and fell with each breath he took. It was almost relaxing feeling another person next to him after so long. 

Last time was years ago. Such a long time, he could almost feel tiny hands as Argenta clung onto him, both sticking together in a desperate attempt to stay warm. 

Soon, tiredness set in, boldened by the warmth radiating from Adam. With the person behind him, he found himself slowly relaxing, able to close his eyes and drift off without much of his past coming to haunt him. Even with Adam, it didn’t magically make the nightmares go away, but when Zanthus woke up and turned to see him there;

It made it an easier burden to bear. 


	27. A Whole New World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Surgery a success, Ruri starts to live and learn in a world she had never fully explored. New sounds lead to new discoveries. Yet Atlas, while the place of invention, is not a place known for its ethical treatment of its people. Ruri and Eirian quickly see that who they are differs how the world perceives them, and when they return to Beacon, they come back to a new year and new adventures ahead.

“ _Ruri, are you here to see me off?”_

_Little feet pitter pattered across the tatami mats. Uncertain of their strength, the young child struggled, wobbling on her two legs as she tried to walk towards the grown woman standing near the front door._

_It wasn’t her mother, or her older sister. A tall, muscular fighter with fiery red hair pulled tightly into a top knot, lacking any of the decorations that Shinju and many high class women wore. Aquamarine eyes watched with pride when Ruri managed to make it close enough to hold onto her loose pants, the fabric bunching in tiny fists._

_Kneeling down slowly, a single gloved hand rested on the top of Ruri’s head. A gentle gesture. One that always brought comfort to the worried girl, that same smile stretched across the woman’s face._

_“Don’t be scared for me, Rurima.” She whispered softly. “Your Aunt Rougyoku can handle anything that happens out there.”_

_The words fell on deaf ears. Scared, Ruri could only whimper softly, jumping up and down on her feet as she gripped Rougyoku’s pants tightly. She didn’t want her to go. The world was a scary, dangerous place. All that she knew of it were what her parents told her, and now one of her beloved family members would leave again for destinations unknown._

_Yet that smile, so warm and loving, made all her fears seep away to nothing._

_“It’s okay… Being scared is okay, but promise me one thing.” She asked calmly. “Don’t ever let that fear control your life. Okay?”_

_Ruri didn’t understand. She never did, but talking to her like she would with Seigyoku helped the Huntress at least pretend everything was okay. It made Ruri feel no different to the rest of her family._

_As she stood up, Ruri stood there silently, watching as, with a pull of a cloak over her shoulders, Rougyoku slipped on a plain white mask and vanished into the outside world. It looked so beautiful from where the child stood._

_Sadly, her view was brief, a few glimpses of what she could have vanishing with the close of the door, and there, she stood afraid once more._

The world was blurry.

Everything spun around, a spiral of greys, blues and whites that melded together, almost like a muted kaleidoscope. As eyes blinked away the blurriness, nausea and confusion settled in Ruri’s mind. Where was she?

Slowly, she could hear muffled voices.

Purple eyes fluttered open, a sharp pain in the back of Ruri’s head making her hiss quietly. The small sound didn’t go unnoticed. 

Suddenly, bright red eyes appeared in front of her, sparkling as a voice, so distant yet so familiar, cheerfully piped up. “She’s awake!”

“Give her some space, miss.” A deep voice politely asked. “She’ll be a bit groggy for a few hours, at least until the anaesthetic has worn off.”

“So can she hear us right now?” That same chipper voice questioned. 

Ruri couldn’t help but close her eyes again, finding the voices starting to get clearer and clearer as she pushed through the grogginess of the anaesthetic. It felt like her mind was covered in fog. Nothing could come out, her limbs laying uselessly as she squirmed in her bed. 

Slowly, she willed one hand up, feeling an oxygen mask over her face. She wanted it off.

Gently, a hand grabbed her own. As it guided her hand back down to her side, a gentle voice comforted her. “You need to keep it on.”

Irritated, she laid there silently, opening her eyes once more to find her vision clearing up. That same white ceiling up above her, the sterile blue and white walls, she could even feel the thin mattress underneath her as she squirmed uncomfortably. 

Looking to the left, she could see that it was her father keeping hold of her hand, not even letting go when he turned attention to Shinju, sitting on Ruri’s right. The only one not sitting close was Eirian, the girl having wandered to look at the posters left on the walls, reading the fine print of one that labelled the human body.

A mechanical sound echoed through the room. Squinted eyes glanced in its direction, finding that it was Pietro moving around, tapping away on a clipboard that looked so much like the scrolls that she and Eirian owned. 

The faint blue of the glowing screen coloured his face, the doctor busy with whatever he was typing before he carried on. “Miss Esna, please stop messing with the heart diorama.”

“I think my finger’s stuck.”

With a deep sigh, he went to aid the struggling teen in freeing her trapped finger.

Once she was released from the heart prison, she rubbed the tender digit gingerly, turning back to Ruri when the drugged girl sat up in her bed. Smile wide, she was by Ruri’s side in seconds, holding her other hand. “How’re you doing? You’ve been outta it for hours.”

“ _Sore. Tired.”_

“Yeah, getting a hole drilled in your head can do that to you.” Eirian agreed with a sympathetic smile. “So, how does it feel being able to hear?”

It finally clicked in Ruri’s head. Eyes that were once half close shot open, looking around as she registered the sounds of everything around her. The quiet hum of the ceiling lights, the ticking of the clock, the muffled commotion of the practice’s staff just outside her room. As she took it all in, Eirian spoke. “You alright?”

Her voice was deep and lively, with a faint Vikelan accent lacing her words. It was difficult ever thinking of what she would’ve sounded like before. Without any clues in her life, Ruri just assumed everyone sounded the same. 

With a small nod, she reached for the spot behind her left ear where it ached _terribly._

Quickly, Pietro stopped her with a quick. “I wouldn’t touch it. The wound is still fresh, and you could dislodge my stitching if you mess around with it.”

That sounded painful. Immediately, she let her hand fall to her lap instead, finding herself staring up at the ceiling again with a furrowed brow. “ _Loud._ ”

“What’s loud?” Shinju asked softly.

“ _The lights._ ” She revealed, watching the rays of light shining down. “ _Did they always sound like that?_ ”

“I suppose we’ve never given it much thought…” Shinju confessed, looking up too while in deep thought.

“I’ve found that to be common among deaf patients.” Pietro revealed as he moved closer to the bed. “It’ll take time to adjust to this, but you’ve already recovered faster than the average person. Perhaps I can take some of this as data for an old theory…”

Intrigue piqued at that, Eirian bragged. “I got a C in my Theory of Semblances assignment. What’s this one about?”

“Plenty of Atlesian scientists want to see just how much Faunus biology differs from ours. While we’ve actually made progress, I’m afraid that the sheer span of different biological traits in Faunus is too wide for us to realistically jot down at the moment.” Pietro explained, before adding in a more disappointed tone. “A shame that so little Faunus volunteer willingly.”

“There’ve been plenty of instances of your scientists using Faunus for less than… _ethical_ experiments.” Shinju pointed out curtly.

“I try to treat the Faunus under my care as I would humans, but I agree that some of my colleagues go too far in the name of science.” The doctor actually agreed with a sigh. “Looking at it all, I’m starting to think that maybe we’re risking too much just for a chance of a breakthrough.”

“What are you people even risking personally? The burdens on the people you experiment on, the ones who won’t be left as anything more than a footnote in someone’s theory.” Shinju’s voice cracked at that. “Just because we don’t come from here doesn’t mean that the truth of what you’re all doing doesn’t reach everyone across Remnant. They all know what Atlas is doing, but no one is doing anything because we rely on this kingdom for _everything._ ”

Pietro didn’t argue with that. Sitting in his chair, he grimly stared at the report he was typing out when Shinju added sadly. “You say you want to treat us just like everyone else, but do you even hold your own staff to that same standard? We haven’t even been in Atlas for a whole day and we’re already looked at like vermin.”

“Perhaps this is something we can discuss elsewhere.” Hisui piped up, glancing at Ruri sitting beside him. “This isn’t something to worry Ruri with. She needs rest.”

Her frown deepened at that. She didn’t want to be excluded from a conversation that affected her. 

Surprisingly, Eirian spoke confidently. “Why not let her decide that for herself? These issues affect her just as much as it affects us.”

“She is our daughter. She doesn’t need to burden herself with these issues when we can do it for her.” Shinju scolded.

“But she’s not a child.” Ruri smiled gently at that, watching Eirian as she stood at the end of her bed. “Maybe you guys can try to include her in these things, especially since we’ve already dealt with it in Beacon.”

“Already dealt with it? What does she mean by that, Ruri?” Shinju turned her attention to her daughter.

With Eirian translating, Ruri said her piece. “ _I didn’t say because you guys would just worry over me again. I could handle it myself._ ”

“That’s- You should’ve said.” The older woman scolded. “We would’ve protected you. Talked to the headmaster, if that’s what we had to. I don’t want you hiding something that serious from me again.”

She kept silent at that. With Eirian watching sadly, neither said anything to Shinju’s demands, only a small nod as the girl’s response. Pleased with that, Shinju gratefully smiled. “Thank you.”

“I think we should give her some time to rest alone. I should have a talk with you two about what should be done when she’s discharged.” Pietro ordered.

Hisui seemingly agreed with him. “Right.”

As both her parents got up from their seats, Ruri tried to smile when her father gently patted her on the top of her head, watching him walk with her mother out of the door with Pietro following after them. 

Before he left, he turned to Eirian, who was still standing by Ruri’s bed. “All of us, Miss Esna.”

“Oh, right.” She laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her head.

Taking a step towards the doctor, she paused. Something flashed across her face. It was only quick, and when she turned to look back at Ruri, it was gone, but that serious expression still remained. 

“Don’t worry, Ruri.” She tried to comfort her friend. “We’ll be back in Beacon before you know it.”

That promise didn’t fill her with much comfort. It was hard enough waiting in Atlas to recover enough for travel, but reminding her of the place that she’d rather be just made her long for it more. She wanted to see her friends again, go back to classes, for things to just be normal again. 

She wanted to go home.

As Eirian left her alone, she sat there in the empty room. Even the silence was loud, all the sounds that were once lost on her threatening to overwhelm the pure girl. She never knew that people just ignored those noises. 

Shadows passed the window of her room. With blinds shut fully, she couldn’t see who they were, but they never entered, never disturbed her. Alone she sat, feeling a deep ache behind her ear and a heaviness to her heart. Deep down, she wondered how Zanthus and Adam were. She was worried. She knew they were as well, even wanting them to be there with her and Eirian at that moment, but she put their wants over hers.

The argument between her mother and Pietro stuck with her. If Adam had returned to Atlas for her, would he just be reminded of everything he suffered through as a child? Could she do that to a friend and teammate just for her own wants?

Secretly, she knew the answer. She was glad Adam remained in Beacon. 

Exhaustion was quick to settle in again. Her body was recovering, dealing with an intrusion that was shoved into her skull, and as it tried to heal over the wound, all the energy she once had vanished. She could barely keep her eyes open, slouching against the pillow propped up to make herself comfortable. 

Often, she found herself drifting off, only to be awoken by nurses barging in and taking her vitals, as well as giving her medicine for the growing pain. It tasted horrible, but she appreciated the numbness that followed shortly after.

There were no windows of the outside world in her room. Her clock, hanging up on the wall, was the only thing that told her what time it was, ticking away in the background while she rested in her bed. 

Occasionally, her parents visited her, and every time, Eirian was right there with them. She stayed as soon as they arrived, and remained even after they left, keeping Ruri company for as long as she could. Surprisingly, a few times, Pietro allowed her to sleep there, though they had to keep quiet since visitors were not allowed after visiting hours were over. 

A week passed by slowly. It was the longest she had ever felt seven days go past, but by the end of it, she sat in one of the chairs beside her bed while one of the servants that had come to Atlas with them packed up her bags. 

Pietro sat in front of her, giving her numerous bags of medicine while explaining. “You’ll need to follow the instructions on these carefully. These drugs aren’t something to miss or mess around with, and I would advise strongly against double dosing if you missed one.”

Nodding, she passed the medicine to the servant packing while Pietro quickly added. “From the notes the nurses made of you, it seems that you’ve had some disturbance to your taste.”

“Is that bad?” Eirian asked from the background. 

“It can happen. During surgery, I must’ve damaged the facial nerves that control her taste.” He sighed deeply. “I’m afraid it’s not something I can fix. We’ll have to adjust to that as best as we can.”

Ruri pouted at that. It wasn’t as severe as her losing her sense of taste entirely, but the food she ate while in there tasted different than what she was used to, and she knew it wasn’t just the different cuisine. 

“You could always have jello.” Eirian pointed out cheerfully. “Jello is always good no matter the taste.”

“ _I hate jello._ ”

Shock was clear on her face as Eirian gasped. “Take that back.”

“If I could break up this very important argument.” Shinju interrupted sharply. “We’re ready to return back to Beacon. Ruri, I believe there’s something to say to Doctor Polendina?”

Getting up from her seat, Ruri folded her hands together in front of her, bowing respectfully to the doctor as he laughed cheerfully. “It’s been a pleasure to get to know you, Ruri. I hope you’ll be able to enjoy yourself a bit more with this new implant.”

She would. 

Smiling fondly, Ruri stood up straight again, following after her father and Eirian while her mother lingered behind. From behind her, she overheard Shinju talking to Pietro personally. “I appreciate the opportunity you have given my daughter. Thank you for your hard work.”

“It’s been my pleasure, Miss Kashima.” He replied, quickly adding in a more somber tone. “As for the discussion we had earlier this week-”

“It’s in the past. I don’t want to focus on anything other than my daughter right at this moment.” Shinju’s rejection was quick and to the point.

Sighing, Pietro didn’t argue any further. “I understand. I hope to see Ruri again in a few years for her checkup, but make sure to bring her back if the implant malfunctions or she develops any concerning symptoms.”

“I’ll make sure I do.” 

With that, she bowed to the doctor and left to join her family and Eirian. A guiding hand rested on Ruri’s back. Guiding her, she found herself looking back at the room she stayed in even when they walked all the way down the hallway, quickly making their way out of the building. 

Atlas was so different in the daytime. The sun rose above the hills in the distance, the skies a mix of blues, greens and yellows as the warm rays filtered through the transparent shields that spanned all around the city. They were like a protective dome over Atlas. Whenever ships took to the skies, Ruri could see the shields breaking apart, forming small holes that the ships could slip in and out of before closing back up again. 

While they travelled across the city, the lack of neon blue lights made Atlas almost look normal. Even with the futuristic architecture and streamlined vehicles, all running on precious dust, didn’t look as different from the city of Vale. 

There were obvious differences, Atlas enjoyed keeping everything monotone and colourless, whereas Vale kept the green and browns of nature in their homes and businesses, offset by the red and yellows of Mistral town or the blues of the streetlights and the docks’ waters. Here, everything was white and grey and blue. 

Very dull and mechanical. There was no life or culture left, and everyone around them subscribed to a life of perfection with no tolerance for failure. 

They had managed to reach the ship without serious problems. At least, that was what Ruri had thought, until she suddenly found one of the soldiers approaching quickly. 

“We just need to search the ship before take off.” He ordered, raising a hand to stop the family. 

Shinju was quick to demand. “And why is that?”

“Just routine, ma’am. We check to make sure no one is smuggling anything in or out of Atlas.” His response was robotic, almost like he had to repeat that day in and day out. “Wait until we’re finished, and then you are free to leave.”

“We’ve been here for a week! If we were smuggling anything, do you honestly believe we would wait around for so long before trying to leave?” 

“I’m just doing my job, ma’am.” He retorted irritably. 

Ears feel flat against Shinju’s head, her eyes narrowing considerably as they were forced to stand there and watch other soldiers enter the ship. Ruri kept a close eye, noticing other people strolling by and boarding ships without as much hassle, and she was not the only one to do so.

“Hey, why ain’t they being searched?” Eirian piped up, pointing to the other passengers.

“Randomised searches. Just wait here until we’re done.” The soldier’s response didn’t fill them with the most confidence.

Despite the tension in the air growing, Eirian didn’t keep quiet. “So what’d you guys look for, exactly?”

“Classified.”

“Okay… how long does this usually take?”

“As long as it needs to take.” His frown was deepening.

“You don’t really need to worry that much about us. My friend and I are students at Beacon, so we’re pretty well behaved and everything.” She gestured to Ruri with a smile.

The soldier raised an eyebrow, looking over at Ruri as the latter stood there with a blank expression. It took so much effort not to glare back when she saw how he looked at her up and down, not even bothering to hide his judgement.

“Sure.” He wasn’t convinced.

“No, really. We have our credentials here to prove it.” Eirian pulled her scroll from her pocket and turned it on, flashing the screen to the soldier for him to see. “Look.”

He at least did give it a look. Studying the ID closely, he stayed silent for a few tense seconds, before standing up straight again and sighing. “It’s not the first time we’ve had questionable people use fake IDs. If you’re all patient, this’ll be over and you can proceed to leave.”

“What’d you mean by questionable?” Shinju tagged in.

“Well, it’s no coincidence that Faunus and humans aiding them have tried to commit crimes in Atlas while posing as Huntsmen.” He shot back. “Our kingdom even had one of our Ace Ops partaking in criminal activity, and General Ironwood at least had the sense to put a stop to that. Now, we have rules in place to stop it again.”

The annoyance in his voice became apparent as he ordered firmly. “I won’t repeat myself again. If you continue to resist, I’ll be forced to arrest you all for obstructing a serviceman’s duties.”

Shinju stayed quiet at that. Yet her silence was not out of fear, rather anger as she continued to glare the soldier down. Thankfully, he couldn’t arrest her just for that.

Soon enough, the other soldiers that were searching the ship disembarked from it, and with the all clear, Ruri and her family were finally allowed to board the ship and take off. 

As she sat in her seat by the window, watching the ground drift further and further away from them as the ship rose into the skies, she could overhear her parents’ hushed voices in the seats opposite her and Eirian. 

“It was just a search. What matters is that it’s over and we can leave this place.” Hisui rationalised, trying to calm his irritated wife down. “We shouldn’t let ourselves get angry over what we can’t change.”

“What can we get angry at, then?” She argued back. “You saw how they looked at us. They thought we were criminals, they refused to believe that our own daughter was training to be a Huntress, the lady who worked for the man who gave Ruri a chance to be normal called her a _lab rat._ ”

Ruri’s stomach flipped at that. She didn’t let it show, rather focusing on the incoming shields, watching them part so that the ship could safely pass through. 

“It’s made no difference. We come to Atlas with all the money and power that we have and they still treat us like we’re nothing.” Shinju’s voice dropped to a tired sigh. “I can only imagine what Seigyoku is going through.”

“She can handle what happens in Mistral. We raised her to be prepared for it.” Hisui comforted, taking his wife’s hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. 

Even though she looked so defeated, she at least tried to smile in response, accepting her husband’s help even if it didn’t ease her anger that much. 

Thankfully, the conversation didn’t dwell on the incident for long. It was something Ruri was incredibly grateful for. She understood her mother’s anger, finding herself annoyed with the treatment, but there were other worries on her mind at the moment, and in all honesty, she was just too tired to fight every battle. 

Being protected her whole life from this kind of discrimination meant that the wounds hurt more than they apparently hurt Eirian. By the time they put Atlas behind them, she had already moved on and chatted about other topics. 

What lifted Ruri’s heart was that she could finally understand them. She sat there for hours, just listening to Eirian’s voice as she went on about every little thing that came to mind.

If Ruri didn’t keep her on track, the conversation would’ve switched to a completely different topic. 

Time passed by without much drag. No one kept much of an eye out, all trying to at least enjoy the trip back to Beacon, with Eirian proving more than enough in keeping everyone entertained. Just her voice alone captured her teammate, Ruri finding herself just listening to it without much thought of what Eirian was actually saying. 

Being able to hear, even after a week to adjust, was still such an alien concept to her. Every little thing enamored her. 

The sound of the engines, the faint ping of the button on her chair that would summon one of the servants, the soft laughter from her mother as she listened to one of Eirian’s _many_ long stories. Everything caught her attention. Sure enough, when things started getting too loud, the ringing in her ear worsened.

As she clutched it tenderly, Eirian was immediately by her side. “Is it hurting you?”

“ _A little. It’s too loud.”_

“Perhaps we should turn it off for now. Just while the ship is coming close to landing.” Shinju suggested, getting up from her seat as she neared Ruri.

With a hand raised, she stopped, listening as Ruri signed back. “ _I can do it myself._ ”

Eyebrows furrowed, she didn’t argue any further, rather sitting back down while Ruri gingerly reached for the part of the implant that jutted out from her flesh. It felt smooth to the touch. Metal that warmed up from the heat of her body, she traced over every bit of it, managing to figure out the small button that turned the implant on and off.

As she flipped it, everything went muffled again. 

She didn’t realise how much she’d miss being able to hear, but the lack of noise made the ringing stop, leaving her to sit there while staring out of the window again. With Eirian practically leaning off their shoulder, they both watched as the clouds parted, and there in the distance, Beacon stood proudly. 

Seeing her home again brought a smile to her face. Excitement bubbled inside her, ready to burst out long before the ship landed and the doors opened.

Eirian was immediately off in a heartbeat, rushing down the steps as Ruri followed after her, at least trying to take her time to walk down onto the ground below. As she reached the bottom, she flipped the hearing aid back on, and there the sounds of the night could be heard finally. 

The long journey meant that by the time they had arrived at Beacon, it had already grown dark. Many of those who lived at the Academy had already gone inside, seeking shelter from the bitter cold that buried deep into her layered clothing, chilling her face even when she pulled her scarf over her head again. 

Glancing around, she noticed that Adam and Zanthus had approached the landing pad for the ships, likely having seen it come in to land just before. 

Their presence didn’t go ignored for long. Immediately, Eirian saw them walking towards her, and in a flash, she was already clinging onto Zanthus like a cat to a tree, hanging off him while cheerfully grinning. “I missed you guys so much! Did you have fun while we were gone? What’d you guys do? Oh, did you make sure Nabk didn’t chew my library books again?”

“If you let us answer.” Adam shot back annoyingly, watching her slowly slip down Zanthus before turning his attention to the approaching Ruri. “We’ve been worried about you. When you guys were meant to come back after a couple of days and didn’t… we couldn’t help but think something went wrong.”

“ _They just wanted to keep me longer than intended. I’m sorry for having worried you both._ ” She apologised gingerly.

“Don’t be sorry. I told him there was a simple reason for the longer stay.” Zanthus piped up, trying to pick Eirian up from the ground. “Before you start telling us all about your stay, I think there’s someone waiting to say goodbye.”

A moment of confusion cleared when Ruri realised that her parents were still waiting by the ship. 

Slowly, she went back to them, rubbing her arm nervously. They seemed happy for her, but there was a twinge of sadness in Shinju’s voice as she brushed a stray hair from in front of Ruri’s eyes. “I’m afraid we have to go now, Ruri.”

“We wish we could stay for longer, but we can’t leave Tsubaki for too long. We just have too much to do.” Hisui explained. “But we will be ringing you every day to make sure you’re taking the medicine and that everything is okay. If there’s anything that feels wrong, we’ll take you straight back to Atlas for an appointment with Doctor Polendina again.”

Ruri nodded at that. Gently, her parents hugged her, keeping her close to them for a few moments before they had to let go. 

It was hard to watch them go. Standing there on the landing bay, she didn’t move even when her parents boarded the ship again, watching them disappear behind the closing door. As the engines roared to life and the ship started to take off, she felt the powerful gusts of winds hit her, blowing the ends of her scarf behind like mad. 

She stayed, unmoving from that spot even when the ship shrunk more and more until she couldn’t even see it past the thick cover of clouds. That night, even the moon was mostly hidden away. 

Finally, she felt a hand on her shoulder, turning her head to see Adam standing beside her.

“Come on,” he urged. “We should really go back inside.”

Allowing him to guide her back to the team, they all began the short walk back to the dorms. It was a peaceful walk. She listened to the noise around her, all of it. The sound of the wind blowing through Beacon, the crunch of snow under their boots, and even the rustling of the trees and bushes that decorated the stone paths. 

But the peace was short lived when Adam asked softly. “How was the journey back?”

“The trip back was fine.” Eirian confessed, though she added in a more subdued tone. “We ran into a bit of trouble just before leaving Atlas, though.”

“Why? What happened?” Zanthus was quick to inquire. 

“Just some searches. I didn’t wanna think too much about it, but they singled us out of a whole group of passengers. Even though we were there for a whole week, they just let others pass by.” She went on to elaborate. “When I tried to tell him we were Beacon students, he didn’t believe us. After that…”

She trailed off. A hand rubbed the back of her head, the sudden end to the conversation not going unnoticed as Adam piped up. “After that… what?”

“Well… He kinda just accused us of being Faunus and human allies trying to pretend to be Huntsmen to get away with smuggling.” Her voice dropped as she revealed.

Adam’s face darkened at that. Eyes narrowing, he could only sigh deeply, running a hand through his hair as he turned to ask Ruri personally. “Did he do anything?”

“ _No. He really upset Mother, though.”_

“Maybe it was best that we weren't there, after all.” Zanthus pointed out. “Not only do you hate Atlas, but you are known to not hold back on speaking your mind, Adam.”

“And I should. How’re things meant to change if we just meekly go along with humans’ treatment of us?” Adam tried to keep his cool when he retorted.

It was surprisingly mature. Even Zanthus kept an even tone as he debated. “I’m not disagreeing with that. I’m just saying that not taking things lying down and further antagonising a situation are two different things, and you can’t deny that you’re pretty… _vocal_ when people aren’t exactly friendly to Faunus.”

“I don’t see why I should tame my attitude to people who see me as inferior.” Adam paused for a moment, adding in a quieter voice. “But you’re not exactly wrong in saying that me getting mad hasn’t really worked well in the past.”

“ _It wasn’t as big of a deal as it could’ve been, thankfully. I’m honestly just glad to be back at Beacon._ ” Ruri joined in.

With a smile, Zanthus agreed. “I guess that’s all that matters right now.”

Finally, they reached the dorms. The warmth billowed from inside, a welcome change from the freezing night just outside their door, with Ruri finding herself soaking it all in as she lowered the scarf covering her head.

After a long day of travelling, she was exhausted and jet lagged. She just wanted to go to bed. 

But one of their teammates didn’t share the same desire. From behind her, she overheard Eirian cheerfully call out. “Oh, Ulfric!”

Right in front of them, having just left the living room and dressed in casual pyjamas, a boy stopped at the sound of Eirian’s voice. With her running towards him, the rest of her team followed curiously. 

They had never seen him before. With mustard yellow hair chopped closely to his head and emerald green eyes, he was just as tall as Zanthus, and just as muscular under his yellow tank top and loose fitting blue striped pants. 

“It’s Wilfred.” He corrected passively.

She didn’t even seem to register the correction, rather going on as usual. “Oh, you’re not wearing your mask tonight! Is your Semblance more stable?”

“For now. I have it close to my bed in case I start breaking down again.”

“Wait…” Adam quickly interrupted, looking Wilfred up and down before turning to Eirian. “Isn’t this the guy who almost suffocated us in Professor Tabi’s class?”

“Yep! We actually started talking shortly after that, and we found that we actually have a lot in common!” She explained, patting Wilfred on the back. “He failed Professor Melina’s classes, too. So we’ll have a friend with us when we retake it this year, Zanthus!”

“Nice.” Zanthus seemed pleased with that.

Wilfred, on the other hand, was flushed red with embarrassment. “Don’t embarrass me, I’ll start breaking down again.”

“Hang on, I think I have a water bottle in case we need to hold some of you in it again.” Eirian muttered to herself, searching through her suitcase for the elusive water bottle.

“We were actually gonna head up to our dorm, anyway.” Adam insisted, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but there. “Ruri’s pretty tired, and we wanna catch up before bed, so…”

The trail off was more directed to Eirian than to Wilfred. Even though she didn’t seem to catch on fully, her friend thankfully got the message and agreed. “I’m pretty wiped out too. We can catch up tomorrow, Eiri.”

“Cool! Well, talk to you later!” She practically tore up the carpet with how fast she ran off. 

Slowly, her team followed after her, with Wilfred quickly splitting off from them when they reached the first floor. When they reached their dorm room, the door was already open, and from inside, they could hear Eirian squeal with happiness. “I missed you so much! Give Mommy a big kiss?”

A strange sound caught Ruri’s attention. Interest piqued, she entered the room quickly, looking around for what possibly could be making that noise.

Soon enough, her attention was brought to Nabk. The bird was ecstatic to see his creator. Wings flapping, he was practically clinging to Eirian’s jacket, shoving himself into the crook of the neck while squawking. That sound was coming from him?

She had never thought of such a sound existing. It was grating and loud, but to Eirian, it seemed like a beautiful bird song.

Zanthus didn’t waste time helping the girls out. Grabbing the suitcases, he effortlessly hoisted them up on his bed, letting Ruri sort out her own things while helping Eirian with peeling Nabk off her face. Adam too made himself useful, taking the bird so that Eirian and Zanthus could work together to unpack in peace.

“So, how’s this implant doing for you?” He asked, sitting down on his bed with a hand stroking Nabk.

“ _I never realised everything was so loud._ ” Ruri confessed.

“Yeah, she could hear the ceiling lights and everything.” Eirian added, pulling out one of her shirts. “The thing looks pretty cool, honestly. Take a look.”

“I’ll pass, thanks. I’m not sure Ruri would very much appreciate it.”

“ _You’re right. I won’t._ ”

He chuckled at that.

“I mean, I guess some of the sounds around here are what we’re used to.” Zanthus theorised, turning to Ruri while folding Eirian’s clothes. “But you’ve never heard them in the first place. Makes sense that every little thing is this new discovery for you.”

“ _It hurts, I have to take all this medication, I’ll be going back to Atlas every five years for the rest of my life, and I gotta turn it off when things get too loud, but…”_ She paused for a moment. “ _I’m actually happy that I took this chance._ ”

“You think you’ll ever learn how to speak?”

Ruri shook her head. “ _I just can’t. Every time I try, it’s like something’s in my throat, blocking my words from coming out. The doctors in Atlas said that they’re developing new technology in helping mute people be able to communicate, but I’m honestly fine with just sign language._ ”

“Still, that speech thing sounds like it’d make your life easier, especially since not many people know sign language.”

“ _I’d rather normalise people working with me to communicate than doing all the work myself._ ” She felt happy with her choice.

Thankfully, Zanthus seemed to accept her choice gracefully. “Okay. It’s pretty admirable, honestly.”

“ _Thank you._ ”

“What exactly did they do to you?” Adam asked curiously.

“ _Stuck a piece of metal in my head. According to Doctor Polendina, they had to cut through my cranium and attach the implant to my temporal lobe so that it can translate outside sound into electrical impulses straight to my brain._ ” She explained. 

While Adam seemed to understand enough to wince at the explanation, Zanthus just looked lost. “They did what?”

“They put a hole in her head and stuck the implant in so she can hear.” Eirian quickly summarized from behind him.

“Oh. Ouch.”

“ _It aches, but the painkillers that were given help a lot in dealing with it._ ” She picked up the bag to show them.

“Ugh… I hate medicine.” Adam grumbled to himself.

“Did you ever had to take anything like that, Adam? For your… you know.” Eirian pointed at her eye nervously.

“You can just say my scar, Eirian. I’m not so sensitive that you guys pointing it out offends me.” He corrected irritably, though quickly dropped attitude as he quickly went on to confess. “Sometimes. As a kid, I got medical care in Menagerie. There wasn’t exactly a lot they could do, mind you, but they could at least give me pills to help with the pain and stop any infections.”

“What about in the White Fang?” Zanthus muttered.

That gave Adam pause. He stayed quiet for a while, unable to come out clean immediately. Yet, with their patience, he opened up more than he would’ve months ago. “We struggled with medicine a lot in the White Fang. People got hurt, they needed care. Sometimes we had to prioritise patients because we just didn’t have enough. I admittedly let myself go without far more often than I should’ve.”

“Does… it hurt now?” Eirian waringly inquired. 

“Not as much as when I was younger. No. But it does flare up from time to time, and the hot weather tends to irritate it more than usual.”

“If you had the same chance as Ruri to get a new eye… would you?”

Eirian’s question didn’t anger him as much as they thought it would. Rather, he was quick to dismiss it. “Not from Atlas, I wouldn’t. It honestly doesn’t bother me that much. What’s more difficult to deal with is… what it says.”

None of them spoke. They all knew what he felt about his scar, finding themselves uncomfortable every time he took the bandage off and they saw those letters again. It rang a harsh truth to them. 

One that they just couldn’t ignore.

Unsurprisingly, Adam didn’t want to dwell on the subject, rather changing it to other matters. “You think this implant will help with classes? We’re starting our second year at the beginning of April.”

“That’s still, like, two months away.” Eirian shrugged off. “I wanna have fun before we gotta go back to school.”

“I gotta agree with Eirian. You guys don’t have to repeat Law this year.” Zanthus agreed, crossing his arms with a pout.

“You have to know the laws to be a Huntsman.” Adam lectured. “It sucks, but you both at least have Ruri and I to help make sure you don’t have to repeat this year _again._ ”

Eirian was quick to deny any wrongdoing. “I plead the sixth.”

“The fifth, Eirian.” Zanthus corrected.

“ _It’s not only the classes, either. We’ll be allowed to participate in this year’s Vytal Tournament in Vacuo. We have to prepare ourselves for that._ ”

“That’s not until near the end of the year. We got plenty of time.” Eirian carried on dismissing. 

She really didn’t want to focus on anything that could stress her out. While Ruri understood the appeal, the fact that she wasn’t taking these things seriously started to grate on the Faunus.

At least Zanthus was far more patient in dealing with her antics. “They’re not wrong. Time can go by fast if we’re not careful.”

“Hmmmm, you’re not wrong.” She agreed quietly. “Oh Gods, we’re gonna have to fight all those teams we saw.”

“Or we could get easy pickings until the finales?” Zanthus tried to be optimistic.

“Then we’ll still have to fight those we saw in Haven’s Tournament.” Adam added.

Zanthus glared at him for that. Beside him, Eirian seemed distraught at the daunting day that would eventually come, cupping her face with closed eyes. After a few slaps, she tried to keep her positive attitude. 

“It won’t be that bad!” She cheered. “We’re one of the best teams of our year! I’m sure we’ll do our best when we get to Vacuo!”

Surprisingly, Adam agreed with a neutral expression. “She’s right. We’ve trained just as hard as everyone else.”

While they were picking themselves up, Zanthus seemed focused on something. For a moment, Ruri worried that he was scared of the inevitable Tournament, but when he replied, she couldn’t help but stare at him in disbelief.

“I hate sand.”

“Isn’t your mother Vacuan?” Adam retorted.

“Yeah, and she was right leaving that place.” He mumbled in frustration. “She didn’t have to worry, being able to control it, but I hated it. It gets everywhere and is so _irritating._ ”

“A little sand doesn’t hurt anyone. It’ll be fun!” Eirian laughed.

With a frown, Zanthus jabbed a finger in her chest. “You grew up in a desert. Your opinion is invalid.”

Staring down at the finger poking her, Eirian sulked at that, turning away with her arms crossed.

“Professor Oobleck says my desert is cool.”

From his spot on the bed, Adam stared at the pair with clear disbelief at what they were arguing about, unable to hide the sarcasm in his voice as he sighed deeply.

“We’re doomed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since this is written media and it's impossible to actually show what accents in RWBY sound like, I'll put a list here:
> 
> Atlesian: Commonly French, but there are some that sound English or Germanic.   
> Mantle: Welsh, Irish, Scottish or Northern English accents.  
> Vale: Accentless in the city. Outside, people typically have Italian or Greek inspired accents.  
> Vacuo: Heavily differs. Tribes outside heavily depend on what culture they take, with the main 12 having Jewish, Marron territory having Latin American, Isidis City have quite Middle Eastern to Northern African.  
> Mistral: Depends on where in Mistral based on the culture they're inspired from.   
> Menagerie: Asile tend to have an offshoot of Mantle/Atlesian accents due to their occupation of Menagerie. Vikela is South African inspired, so Icheku and Eirian have those accents with Eirian's being fainter.
> 
> Also, updates will now be on Sunday rather than Friday!


	28. Golden Sands Ahead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second year in Beacon Academy. After the wild adventures of the first one, Adam and his team look forward to an easier ride this time around. After months of nothing too extreme, they find the next Vytal Festival having arrived right on their doorstep, and with the deserts of Vacuo ahead, they come to see just how different the people of this stubborn kingdom are to their own.

The second year of Beacon was not as eventful as the first. 

Honestly, it was something of a miracle for Adam and his team. Months had passed without them being dragged into fights with terrorists, or another mysterious family member knocking on their door, except Icheku, of course. Shortly after the school year began, he appeared once more to celebrate Eirian’s 19th, and finally, Adam decided to join in the celebrations.

He never knew Vikelan food was so good. All his time in Menagerie, and he didn’t even leave the Belladonna manor to explore it. 

Everything was going along swimmingly, save for Eirian and Zanthus having to repeat their first year in Law again. With fall upon them once more, Adam stood there in Professor Melina’s class again, watching in pure boredom while Eirian stood right in front of their professor. 

As they sat behind that same desk as always, they looked almost as bored as Adam did, though they still listened as Eirian practically begged. “Please, you gotta give me a good grade on this assignment.”

“I have to be fair to all my students, Miss Esna.” They pointed out tiredly. “I want you to succeed in my class, but no matter what we do, you just don’t process what I’m teaching you.”

“I try! I really do, but I can’t get my brain to take in what you say!” She rambled on. 

With a deep sigh, Melina suggested. “Maybe you’d do well getting someone to help tutor you? Someone who already understands the best ways that you can comprehend the information I’m giving you?”

“A tutor?”

“That might not actually be a bad idea, Eirian.” Zanthus agreed from beside her. “Why not ask Ruri? She’s got the highest grades of the class, nevermind the team.”

Ruri blushed happily at that compliment. Blue scales flushed purple, she stood there by Adam, beaming with pride and confidence while Eirian gasped. “You’re right! Ruri, can you help me with this stupid class?”

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.” Melina muttered sarcastically.

“ _ I’ll help, but you have to promise you’ll take this seriously. _ ” Ruri ordered sternly. “ _ No running off to do whatever you want. You’ll sit down and you will study, otherwise I won’t help anymore. _ ”

Eirian looked nervous at that. “Right. Gotcha. I’ll be the best student ever.”

“Speaking of the best student,” Melina piped up, their turquoise eyes glancing over at Zanthus. “Zanthus, you’ve seemed to really pick yourself up this year.”

“Ah, yeah. I’ve actually been getting some help with my writing. I think I got this reading stuff down… for the most part.” His ears dipped at that.

Adam said nothing. He didn’t need to, remembering the late nights with Zanthus practically pawing over every word in the Alphabet for Adults book he got from the library. So much beauty sleep lost over it.

“Well, it’s certainly shown. Keep at it, and I’ll have no doubt you can rejoin your team next year.”

Zanthus seemed so proud of himself at that. Slit pupils shifting over to Adam, the two boys shared a mutual smile, though Eirian seemed less than thrilled at that. “I’m gonna be on my jack Jones again…”

“ _ This shouldn’t be something to worry about right now. We’re almost ready to leave for the Vytal Tournament at Shade. _ ”

“Miss Kashima’s right. I think you guys have done enough to earn some rest and relaxation in Vacuo.” A small smile crossed Melina’s lips at that. 

“It’ll be a nice break, for sure. I always wanted to see Isidis City.” Adam confessed. “Will you be coming with us, Professor?”

The smile dropped at that. With a tired sigh, Professor Melina revealed dryly. “I will not be going with Beacon students this year, as I  _ unfortunately  _ despise Vacuo.”

“But you’ll miss seeing the Scarlet Fields, and the Weeping Wall!” Eirian gasped in shock. “I can’t wait to see Isidis City, I heard it’s built around an oasis that’s fed by rivers that flow deep underground.”

“Before you get ahead of yourself, you might wanna make some preparations for the ship to Vacuo tomorrow.” Melina’s voice stopped the excitable girl in her tracks. 

With the team’s attention on them, they carried on in amusement. “Shade and Beacon are two entirely different climates. The only one used to desert life is Eirian, so perhaps you should modify your looks to be better suited?”

“New clothes? That’s amazing!” Eirian was over the moon once she heard the possibility of new outfits. “This could be a new chance to reinvigorate ourselves! My horoscope told me that changing a major part of my identity will open new doors in life.”

“I’m about to close doors right now. Specifically that one.” Adam shot back, pointing at the open door of the classroom. 

While Eirian pouted at that, he continued. “How are we even gonna get new outfits? The ship leaves tomorrow, and I don’t suppose you have new clothes just lying around for all of us?”

“Well, not for you guys.” They glared at the dark skinned girl for that. 

A short clapping grabbed Adam’s attention, the redhead turning around to see Ruri looking uncharacteristically cheerful standing there. 

“ _ Eirian and I have some outfits we can wear for the trip to Beacon. _ ” She revealed. “ _ In the meanwhile, you boys can go into town with this and get yourselves something for the trip. _ ”

Something small caught his attention. 

It was a credit card. Different from the usual ones that he saw students and even the teachers use, this one had blue blossoms of Mistral’s favourite tree; the Aohi, with the personal emblem of its owner stamped in the top left corner. In silver lettering, he could read Ruri’s name across the bottom half.

It was certainly beautiful. But that wasn’t the most pressing thing on his mind.

“We can’t take your money.” He tried to decline, handing it back to her. “You’ve been trying to not rely on your family’s wealth yourself. It’d be counterproductive for you to just give it to us.”

“ _ It’s clothes. It shouldn’t cost that much, right? _ ” 

She had a point.

“ _ I saw some cute things in the Atlesian fashion shops near the Houses of Councilmen.” _

And she lost the point.

“That district is the richest in the city.” Zanthus mumbled nervously, his ears dipping as he added. “I haven’t even seen what it’s like there yet.”

“Rather than there, you guys can just go to the little boutique stores near the docks. They got some cute stuff there, and affordable too!” Eirian suggested in the background. 

Even though Ruri seemed a bit deflated at her suggestion being rejected, she quickly perked up when Adam nodded. “Alright. I’ll take Zanthus with me, and  _ you two  _ can squeeze in a tutoring lesson for Eirian. We aren’t leaving just yet.”

Eirian whined at that. Sparkling red eyes staring up at him, she had put on her best pleading face, desperate to get at what little heart he had in hopes to change his mind. When his stone cold face didn’t change, she was powerless as Ruri dragged her away. 

With Zanthus beside him, the two watched her waving an arm frantically, desperate to get away before she would be subjected to the worst thing of all. Studying. 

“Well,” Zanthus muttered. “Here’s hoping Ruri gets through to her.”

“She will. Eirian’s stubborn, but so’s Ruri.”

A soft laugh was Zanthus’ response to that. Both happily taking Ruri’s card, they bid their farewells to Melina and went down to the city to grab what they could in preparation for their trip to the harsh desert kingdom. 

In all honesty, Adam never really bothered with shopping for clothes, or anything that wasn’t seriously needed. In the White Fang, they found that stores willing to sell to them were few and far between, so they ended up having to bully and strong arm those too weak to fight back into selling things they needed. As he looked back at his past, he didn’t feel pride at what they did, even if deep down he thought they were necessary. 

Soon enough, he learned the same about Zanthus. The worst shopping partner ever. 

He always stared at the prices and tried to leave to find something cheaper, even when Adam repeatedly told him that Ruri was fine with the cheap clothing they had already found. It was almost like his kind nature couldn’t allow him to even accept gifts. 

By the time they had finished shopping and returned to Beacon for the night, Adam started to wonder just how much his harsh lifestyle from before had affected him. 

That question remained unanswered even when the day finally came. With them packing their things up for the trip, Eirian was dashing around like a maniac, shoving everything she could while Adam plucked certain items from her horde as she passed by.

“You don’t need this.” He chided, grabbing her falcon plushie and absurd amount of hair lotion. “How much do you possibly need? You do realise they have stuff like this in Shade?”

“I’ll have you know that my hair requires a lot of care.” She flipped one of the dreads resting on her shoulder.

From the background, Zanthus piped up. “Shouldn’t you be focusing on getting dressed right now? You’re still running around in your pyjamas.”

Finally, she stopped. It looked like something clicked when she slowly looked down to see that, indeed, she was still wearing her pyjamas. 

A faint blush across her cheeks, she giggled nervously while rubbing the back of her head. “Hehe… whoops.”

With that, she turned around to actually get dressed, picking Nabk up off the clothes that Ruri had meticulously laid out for her that morning. Finally, the others can finish their packing and getting ready without the distraction, Adam himself turning back to his bag. 

Everything he had brought to Beacon was still there. His letters from Blake, the books, and under all the stuff that he had acquired during his time at the Academy, he could see the small spot of white peeking through. 

He hadn’t even thought about his White Fang mask for a long time, and he wasn’t interested in a trip down memory lane at that moment. 

Burying it further with some recreational stuff to pass the time in Shade, he felt that it was finally ready. With the bag zipped up, he took a step back, turning around to catch a glimpse of himself in the dorm’s mirror. 

No longer wearing his old outfit, he had adopted a more revealing outfit to deal with the heat that was sure to come. His red jacket and black kimono style shirt was gone, replaced by a loose fitting shirt with gold clasps holding it together on the right side. The white decals from before rested on his shoulders, moving towards the back where his emblem was shown proudly.

As he moved, black baggy pants rustled, the ends held down by thick black boots with the bright red soles sticking out. 

He wasn’t the only one who had already changed. Both Zanthus and Ruri were prepped and prepared for the journey ahead of them. 

Zanthus had removed his gold and bronze chestplate for a leather that showed off more of his abdomen and even some of the skin underneath his armpits. Leather straps tied together formed a skirt that replaced his pants, showing off his thighs along with the leather straps of his old boots gone, with gold and bronze shin guards replacing them.

While he kept the old black gloves, his left arm was completely covered by a heavy looking pauldron, the armour protecting his arm stopping at the elbow to make room for his vambraces. Yet the most catching was his cape.

No longer just wrapped around his neck, he had styled it to wrap around his head loosely, covering most of his hair and ears. Just in front of his chin, his medallion bearing his emblem sat right in the centre of his hood. 

He actually looked happy wearing so little. Cheerfully lifting his bag off the bed, he turned towards Ruri, who was busy checking her appearance in the mirror. 

Her outfit wasn’t much different from before. The same blue and green kimono, it was held down by a thinner blue obi, with the white belts now green in colour as a purple rope was tied tightly around her waist. Her blue hakama pants gone, the white jumpsuit she had was nowhere to be seen either, rather replaced by white socks that stopped a few inches below the hem of her longer kimono, showing some of her pale skin and blue scales that decorated her thighs. 

Longer blue shoes were held down by steel shin guards, matching the same metal protectors on the back of her short, white gloves. 

As she brushed a stray hair out from in front of her face, Eirian pointed out innocently. “It’s gonna be a pain with all that hair. Why not give yourself a cute haircut?”

Ruri’s face dropped at that, the girl spinning around as she quickly signed out. “ _ No. _ ”

“Huh?”

“People in high Mistral society don’t cut their hair, Eirian.” Adam explained. “It’s seen as something that belongs to the parents, like the rest of the body. You cut it, you’re disrespecting what they’ve given you.”

“But… it’s hair.”

Adam shrugged at that. 

Turning back to her reflection, Ruri seemed thoughtful, holding a part of her long hair and bringing it over her shoulder. 

Suddenly, Zanthus moved behind her, taking Ruri’s silky hair in hand while offering. “Here, lemme help you with that.”

As she stood there awkwardly, watching Zanthus work in the mirror, Ruri seemed surprised by the sudden offer. Funnily enough, she didn’t reject it. Rather, she stood there, patiently waiting while he twisted the long hair into a tight bun that sat at the base of her neck.

Tying it into place, he took a step back with a smile. “There. It should be easier to deal with it like this in Vacuo.”

Tenderly, she touched the bun, testing out the quality of his work. It suited her. 

With a bright smile, she turned to accept her bag from her feline friend, and with that Eirian was quick to interrupt the peaceful silence. “Finished!”

With her team’s attention on her, she stood there by her bed proudly, holding a ridiculously large bag in her arm like it was just a handbag. That same grin plastered on her face, she even managed to get into her new clothes in the short time it took for the others to finish packing. 

Somehow, she had managed to show off even  _ more  _ skin. Her shorts became even shorter, some of it covered by a skirt like cape that bore the same patterns from her old cape. Just like Adam, she too wore black boots, but the silver coloured steel toes on the end that shone in the sunlight. 

As she passed the bag to Zanthus to hold, her new white crop top was revealed. The blue and white collar was different, however, with a white stripe down the middle that separated the two halves.

Yet, rather than her dreads shown off proudly, she had tucked them away in a head cloth that was pinned to her head with her usual headband. With a few pieces of hair poking out from the covering, Adam couldn’t help but point it out. “What are you wearing on your head?”

“It gets sandy in Vacuo and sand ruins my hair.” She shot back. “Zanthus has the right idea.”

“My mother always wore a head covering like this. In the Leib tribe, most cover their heads for practical and religious reasons.” Zanthus held onto his own head covering and mused out loud. “I used to copy her when I was a kid, and then my dad would get angry. Deep down, I think he just got mad because he didn’t understand the point of it, but my mother always held on to her beliefs.”

“She sounds like a strong woman.”

“She was flawed. Looking back, I know she didn’t do what she should’ve to protect me or Argenta, but those few good moments we had together, without my dad… I miss them.”

“Maybe she’ll be in Vacuo?” Eirian suggested as she approached Zanthus, putting a hand on his bare shoulder tenderly. “We don’t know. Fate works in mysterious ways.”

“I don’t think she’ll set foot there ever again. She always hated it.”

“Well, I think that one day, you’ll see her again. I got a feeling.” With that same warm smile on her face, she patted Zanthus’ shoulder and immediately focused on other things. “Right! Time we get going!”

Rushing towards the door, she suddenly stopped in her tracks, turning around with her gloved right arm stretched out. “Forgot someone!”

On command, Nabk flew from his spot on Eirian’s bed to where she held out on her arm, climbing along until he was comfortably on her shoulder. With her pet with her, she turned around and marched out of the room with a loud cry. 

“To Vacuo!”

Her team were less energetic. Ruri ran after her, eager to spend time with the bird, but Adam couldn’t help but turn to Zanthus with a grimace. “Are we really taking the bird with us?”

A hearty laugh, and the blonde slapped his friend on the back. “Come on. It won’t be that bad.”

That sentiment was not shared at all.

Even when they left the dorms, even when they reached the ships and saw Ozpin standing there, chatting away with the excited Eirian, Adam still didn’t share the sentiment. Nabk was great when he was asleep. Sadly, that couldn’t last forever, and when he was awake, he was a loud annoyance with no sense of personal space.

Reminded him of a certain someone. 

“If you’re coming with us, Headmaster, does that mean we’ll meet the other headmasters?” She asked cheerfully.

Piercing gold eyes stared down at her, the man towering over Eirian easily while he spoke. “Of course. All four headmasters meet during the Vytal Festival. I believe one of you has already made acquaintances with General Ironwood.”

His attention turned to Ruri. 

Beside her friend, her attention was brought to the conversation when the general was mentioned. Clearly intrigued, she was quick to ask. “ _ Will we have a chance to speak to him when we arrive in Vacuo? _ ”

“I’m certain he’ll have time for some students during our stay in Shade.” Ozpin nodded, leaning on his cane with a smile. “I believe he’ll want to see how one of his kingdom’s latest contraptions is doing. You certainly left an impression on him, Miss Kashima.”

“ _ I would like to thank him personally for the talk we had. _ ” She confessed. “ _ I don’t know if I would’ve been brave enough to go through with it if it wasn’t for him. _ ”

“Don’t sell yourself short. When we’re scared is the only time we can show true bravery.”

As Adam and Zanthus joined with their friends, Eirian was quick to get going. “Let’s go, I wanna get to Vacuo already!”

“Patience, Miss Esna.” Ozpin chided, guiding his students onto one of the ships waiting before quickly adding. “I see we’re bringing the bird with us today.”

As the students settled in on the ship, Adam stared out the window, watching Ozpin talking quietly with Glynda off to the side. 

He couldn’t hear what they were saying. Yet by the looks on their faces, it wasn’t a friendly goodbye between two friends and coworkers. From the deep frown on Glynda’s face, he felt something rise up from the bottom of his stomach, that worry he had managed to ignore for months creeping back. There wasn’t anything substantial, but there never was before.

Deep down, he was worried that there was something deeper under the surface. There was no time to worry about it now, however.

Soon enough, Ozpin said his goodbyes, and as he boarded the ship himself, the loud hum of the engines sprang to life. A deep vibration through the ship, Adam could feel it in his feet, never once taking his eyes from where Glynda stood as the ship slowly rose into the skies. 

At least the others were more excited for the upcoming Festival. While he sat there silently, he overheard the students around him. The air was rich and heavy with enthusiasm, none able to keep quiet with the new Academy and city on their minds, though none could beat Eirian in excitement.

The entire trip was just her repeating information like a guide tour, barely able to keep a straight thought before jumping to the next topic.

“Look, look!” She practically sat on Adam’s lap as she moved towards the window. “There it is! The Scarlet Fields!”

Her finger pressed up against the spotless glass, the rest of the team were almost on top of Adam to see what was going on, practically crushing the poor boy as he too tried to peek. 

Far below the ship, it was impossible to miss the Scarlet Fields. Miles upon miles of red flowers bloomed amongst the stone and sand, covering the border between Samson’s Valley and the rest of Vacuo in crimson. When the wind blew through, the flowers swayed about in waves. It was almost like the waves of an ocean.

“The most popular natural feature of Vacuo, the Scarlet Fields stretch from coast to coast along the base of the mountain range known as Samson’s Valley!” Eirian rambled on, her face getting closer and closer to the window. “Made entirely of the native flower, Dorothy’s Poppy, these fields serve as a natural barrier between Vacuo and Vale, as the pheromones secreted by the flowers induce a drowsy effect on anyone who is not native to the land.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad.” Adam’s muffled voice piped up.

“When you fall asleep, the last place you wanna is in the middle of a desert with tribes all around who  _ really  _ don’t like intruders.” Zanthus clarified. “Samson’s Valley is where my mother’s tribe is. Maybe… she’s gone back to them.”

“ _ We have the student missions to do before the tournament. Maybe we can see if there’s anything near the mountain range and try to look for your mother? _ ” Ruri suggested.

“...Yeah. I think I like that plan.”

He stared out of the window wistfully after that. Adam couldn’t help but watch him, concerned for his friend when he saw none of the joy in those eyes anymore. 

The long hours in the ship didn’t improve his mood. Even when the ship landed and Eirian practically sent Ozpin flying down the steps to get off the ship, Zanthus didn’t even laugh at the amusing display. 

While Ruri helped the flattened Adam off the seat, he voiced his worries to his friend. “What’re we gonna do with this, Ruri? About Zanthus’ mom?”

“ _ What we always do. Zanthus needs to come into this decision on his own, and when he does, we support him as his friends and his team. _ ” 

“That’s the problem, though.” He sighed. “How is he gonna make a decision when he doesn’t even know what he wants?”

“ _ Family’s a fickle thing, Adam. We both know that more than most. _ ”

With a pat on his shoulder, Ruri gave him a comforting smile and moved to disembark from the ship herself. For a moment, he stood there silently, mulling over the brief conversation with a saddened frown.

He didn’t wait long. Along with the others, he too moved towards the exit of the ship, stepping into the light. 

It blinded him for a second, sharp pain in his right eye as he closed it on reflex. Quickly, a hand shot up to give him at least some shade to attempt to see, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the harshness. Above the chatter, Ozpin’s voice could be clearly heard by all of them. 

“Students,” he started. “Welcome to Isidis City.”

Finally, Adam’s eyes had adjusted to the blinding light.

Blinking slowly, he looked around in awe and amazement. They had finally arrived. 

So unlike the City of Vale, Isidis City was built around a giant oasis, the stations designed for ships coming in set at the base of the hill that Shade Academy sat on. As he looked up at the Academy itself, he was shocked to see a statue built behind it, casting the entire building in shadows. 

The statue itself was of a human bust, the base covered by a snake that coiled around, climbing up the woman until its head rested on hers, an open maw showing detailed fangs. Both were made of limestone, the white rock weathered from harsh sandstorms and the little rain that did fall.

“As I’m sure you all are excited to explore the city, I will permit you to leave and make your own way to Shade.” Ozpin suddenly explained, quickly adding in a stern tone. “However, none of you are to leave this city. If any student breaks this rule, you will immediately be sent back home. Vacuo is a dangerous place full of Grimm and wildlife. I’d rather not lose any of my students because they refused to listen to my instructions.”

Each and every one of the students fell silent at that. It was a rare thing to see Headmaster Ozpin so serious, but it was the way he watched all of them that filled them with anxiety. 

Adam knew better than to disobey him. He, and his team, had already been victims to one of his punishments, and they would rather not miss another festival because they thought they knew better and ignored his warnings. 

When none objected, Ozpin added in a friendlier voice. “Excellent. I will see you all tonight for dinner. I would advise against being late.”

With that, he left the students to their own devices. 

As groups split up into their friends and teams, Adam found that his own team quickly circled him.

“Well, what’d you guys wanna do in the meantime?” Zanthus asked.

“Oh, oh!” Eirian hopped in place with a huge grin. “We can go and see the Temple of Khufu! I heard the followers are all women and wear masks designed after the god so that no mortal can taint them with their unworthy gaze.”

“Wearing a mask would be hell in this weather.” Adam muttered.

The heat was unbearable. Even with the sun far past the midday point, he was sweating horribly, feeling it irritate the scarred tissue around his damaged eye underneath his bandage. Thankfully, Ruri seemed to agree with his sentiment if her flushed face was any indication. 

“ _ How can people stand this heat? _ ” She complained. 

Zanthus glanced around in confusion. “I don’t think it’s that bad.” 

“Reminds me of home. Actually a lot of the architecture here reminds me of home.” Eirian agreed, looking at the buildings and homes that surrounded us. 

Whereas Beacon was made of tall brick buildings and grey stone accented by wood, Isidis City had built their homes with the materials they had in the desert. So, most were made of light coloured stone, the desert trees that were hardy enough to survive sparsely decorating the streets and homes as the group wandered through. 

It was so full of life. People in the street haggled for goods, children ran around through the street, playing with fake swords or toys that they were gifted, even elderly people sat on the side of the street playing board games. 

Dragging Eirian away before she could interrupt a particular game between two elderly men, Adam paused when the group stumbled across a giant marketplace. 

The building itself was decorated with fabrics of many colours, from deep crimson to bright yellows, they protected the stalls within from the horrific heat. When they stood inside, a cool breeze washed over them, Adam looking around to see multiple machines running with white coloured Dust glowing in the exposed chambers.

“Wind Dust. Pretty good stuff for air conditioning.” He pointed out to Zanthus.

“It’s pretty cool how they kept hold of their way of life while adapting to current times.” He smiled back, looking around to the sea of people wandering through the market. “So many people. What even is this place?”

“This is Hotep Palazar. Vacuo’s largest gathering of markets and where everyone in Isidis City does their trade!” Eirian explained. 

“ _ How can you possibly shop here with all this noise? _ ” Ruri placed a hand over her fin gingerly. “ _ I can barely hear myself think… _ ”

“It’s not that bad. This is how things are back home.” 

“It’s certainly crowded.” Adam muttered, walking out into an open space within the market. 

There, he noticed a fountain in the middle, the statue depicting a large snake with an open mouth that water spurted out of. With a raised eyebrow, he turned to an approaching Eirian and pointed at it.

“Isidis City sure loves its snakes.”

“I think it’s meant to be a tie to the Headmistress here.” She whispered. “Eliana Kokkinos is very proud of being a snake Faunus, and since Huntsmen are practically the law here, she’s like the leader.”

“No council?”

“None. I actually learned that in the assignment I did for Law.”

“The one you failed?”

Her smile instantly vanished. “Yes, the one I failed.”

Intrigued, he turned back to the statue. With slow steps, he moved closer, curious to get a closer look while his teammates hung back a little bit. 

As he turned around to look at them, he spoke. “Look, I think they have the statue’s name here on this plaque-”

Everything was suddenly a blur. 

He couldn’t react fast enough. One moment, he was standing beside the statue, watching his friends approach him with wonder at the monument, and the next he was speeding down the narrow streets that the market stalls were built on. 

On reflex, his one eye shut as soon as he felt himself moving. The wind whistled in his ears, barely covering the sound of people shouting and cursing as he passed by. 

Finally, he opened them once more, finding himself no longer standing on his own two feet, but rather on the back of a bike, and the boy in front of him was not any of his teammates. In fact, he seemed almost familiar. 

Tanned skin and short, black hair that was hidden under a dark brown cowboy hat, the boy had on hand on the handlebar of his hover bike, and another firmly grabbing the front of Adam’s shirt.

When he turned around to look, he saw pure silver in his eyes, just like Steven’s. So beautiful and sparkling, he grinned mischievously. “Sorry ‘bout that! Didn’t wanna run you down, so I thought you wouldn’t mind a ride instead!”

“Who the hell are you?!” Adam shouted angrily.

“Names can be swapped later! Right now,” he paused as he looked up. “We got some company!”

Following his gaze, Adam noticed that up on an elevated street above them, another bike suddenly jumped off and landed right in front of them. Immediately, the boy driving swerved, practically driving on the sideway. Looking over his shoulder, Adam’s heart dropped when he saw an abandoned cart just ahead of them.

“No, no, no, no! Don’t you dare!” He warned the boy.

With that same grin, all of Adam’s threats fell on deaf ears as he drove the bike up the makeshift ramp. 

His stomach flipping painfully, Adam couldn’t do anything but hold on, cursing loudly as the bike hummed loudly. He didn’t even want to look at what it was doing. Yet, without a warning, the bike suddenly stuck to the wall of the building, driving sideways parallel to the road while both riders shouted loudly.

One was thrilled, the other was far less so.

Thankfully, the adrenaline ride was only short, the bike dropping down onto the road again, right beside the other driver who nearly crashed into them in the first place.

Loudly, Adam’s mysterious hijacker chided his friend. “Sun, you  _ hijo de mierda _ ! You coulda knocked me off back there!”

The other boy, Sun, didn’t seem too worried over the insult. With tanned skin just like the boy but bright blonde hair, he wasn’t even properly dressed for riding a dangerous vehicle like the hoverbike. With no shirt and only a baggy pair of blue pants, a long monkey tail waved almost like a hand at the other teen. 

“Come on, Chase! Where’s your sense of fun?” Sun shouted back.

“Oh, it’s  _ fun  _ now?!” Chase’s smirk returned when he revved up the engine.

Before Adam could say anything, all he got was a quick. “Hold on!”

“W-Wait!”

His plea went unheard as the engines burst to life. The compartment under the seat glowed brightly, the sound almost deafening as the bike suddenly sped up, tearing through the narrow, maze-like streets of the city. 

While Adam feared for his life, both Chase and Sun were having the time of their lives. Cheerful whoops and yells were all he could hear over the sound of the wind and the bike thumping in his ears.

Despite the confusing layout of Isidis City, neither Sun nor Chase feared they would get lost or run into a serious problem, bobbing and weaving through the streets like they knew it all. Given that they lived there, it was Adam’s best guess that they really did know the layout like the back of their hand. 

Unsurprisingly, Chase had managed to get his bike up on another higher road, looking down at Sun with a smug face. “Admit it, Sun! You’ve always looked up to me!”

“Yeah, but it’s not much of a view!”

“You know, even from up here, it’s hard not to see your massive head!” Chase laughed. “Mama always said you gotta stop hanging upside down, the blood’ll go to your head!”

“As opposed to your blood going somewhere else!”

Adam wanted off this ride.

As if things couldn’t get any worse, soon enough, the pair of horrors had managed to drive through a  _ temple.  _

The once peaceful atmosphere was shattered when the pair of bikes tore through them, nearly breaking the prized artifacts that the priestesses guarded fiercely. Even though they were blurs, Adam noticed that their faces were hidden. By masks.

Looked like he found the Temple of Khufu.

Despite the chaos and the anger thrown at them, the boys didn’t think that maybe it was time to end their race, carrying on until, somwhoe, they managed to drive up onto the scaffolding that was being used by builders repairing the old buildings around the city. 

Wood and steel together were strong enough for humans, but when heavy bikes landed harshly on them, the wood started to break, and the ropes holding the scaffolding to the building began to snap. 

The platform lurched away. Feeling his balance being thrown off from the sudden jerk, Adam gripped tightly onto Chase. Every part of the driver’s body tensed, and it was at that moment that the Faunus knew he was in trouble, unable to get out with the lunatic at the wheel.

Despite the sudden danger, Chase managed to keep his cool. His control over the bike was skilled, like he had worked with it for a long time, and as the platform started to break underneath them, he drove straight for the edge along with Sun. For a moment, everything felt like it was floating. Weightless.

And then it came crashing down. The bike squealed as the wheels hit the ground, nearly slipping from underneath them before Chase managed to get it under control.

While Adam was practically shaking, Chase seemed completely unaware. “Whoo, that was an adrenaline rush back there!”

“An adrenaline rush?!” Adam glanced back to see the damage they had done with horror. “You’ve wrecked half the city!”

“It’s not that bad! Mama won’t even notice!”

From beside them, Sun piped up loudly. “You think we can get away with this?”

“It’ll be fine! We’ll be back before she even realises we were gone!”

Despite the carefree way he said it, the look of realisation was unmissable on Chase’s face. A faint grimace replaced any smirk he once had. 

Slowly, and thankfully, the race had come to an end. 

Adam wasted no time in getting off the bike. Collapsing to his knees, he breathed in deeply, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart as his unwilling companions got off the bikes too. The heat washed over him, making Adam already feeling sick to his stomach, but when he looked up and saw where he was, his stomach dropped even more.

Shade Academy. 

It was even more imposing up close. A building with layers stacked on top of each other, growing small and smaller until it reached the temple on top, the sun was completely hidden behind the statue that towered over Shade itself.

“You’re one of the Beacon students, aren’t ya?” Chase suddenly asked.

When Adam looked behind, he saw the teen getting off his bike, leaving it propped there as he extended a hand to him. “Sorry about the sudden introduction. I couldn’t think before I hit ya, and I’d rather have a passenger than a casualty.”

“Never drag me into one of your races again.” Adam growled in a threatening tone, ignoring Chase’s hand as he got back to his feet himself.

Hands quickly raised up, Chase holding himself in a non-threatening way, but that same smirk still stayed on his face.

“Jeez, you gotta lighten up a bit. I didn’t mean anything by it.” He laughed. “Besides, you’re alive, ain’t ya? It’s a miracle since you were my first passenger in our races.”

“I won that one, by the way.” Sun piped up in the background. 

“I don’t think so. I had it on the last straig-”

“ _ Chase Marrón! _ ” A feminine voice shouted loudly. 

Any words he was about to say suddenly vanished. All the smugness he had was gone, leaving the teen standing there with wide eyes and tensed shoulders as both he and Sun turned to the source of the voice. 

Adam followed the voice too, looking over to see none other than Roxanne Marrón approaching them quickly, and she did  _ not  _ look happy.

“Ah, shit.” Chase muttered to himself. 

Silver eyes wide with rage, she was practically stomping towards the three boys while ranting and raving. “ _ ¡Estúpido hijo de puta! ¡¿A qué crees que estás jugando?! _ ”

“Wait, wait!” His pleas went ignored when one of the sandals that Roxanne was wearing flew right into his face.

The force alone made him jerk back, both Sun and Adam jumping away in shock while Roxanne stopped right in front of him, retrieving her sandal before carrying on chastising him. “You never listen to me! I told you ‘Chase, do not take that bike out into the city again’, and what do you do?”

“I took it out aga-”

“You took it out again!” She interrupted him. “Mama is furious, you’ve completely outdone yourself this time!”

While she was dragging Chase through the mud verbally, Adam noticed Sun moving away slowly, trying to sneak into the building before her fury would turn to him. 

All his effort was wasted when she immediately turned around. “And you!”

“Me? I’m just an innocent bystander in thi-” Sun was cut off by a sandal to the face. “Ow!”

“How could you be so reckless?! Both of you?! You could’ve been seriously hurt! You could’ve seriously hurt someone else!” She grabbed her sandal off the floor again, putting it on her foot as her attention was finally brought to Adam. “And who is this? Another friend you drag on your crazy disasters?”

“We’re not friends.” Adam corrected her. 

“Wait, are you an Academy student?” She suddenly asked.

“Uhhh… Yeah. I’m from Beacon.” 

“Funny, I didn’t see you in Mistral last year. What team are you on?” Her voice turned softer at that, showing a more polite woman as she stood there with her arms crossed.

“I’m actually the leader of Team AZRE.”

“A leader? Why would you go along with their plan? I thought you would have a bit of self-respect for yourself and for your Academy.” She chided. 

Adam glared at her for that. Scowling, his temper was quick to bubble up as the humans around him got on his already thin nerves. 

“It’s not like I planned on joining them.” He shot back angrily, gesturing to Chase as the latter rubbed his nose sorely. “Your brother here dragged me along. My friends are probably still in Hotep Palazar right now.”

Roxanne’s stern expression faded at that. Underneath, she looked tired, her once burning eyes fading to a dull grey. No more rage, she was instead calm as she asked politely. “Were you hurt?”

“Aside from the several heart attacks they gave me, no.”

A faint smile appeared on her face at that. Slowly, she approached Adam, the latter tensing up as she got closer and closer. Too close.  _ Too close. _

Surprisingly, the video he saw on Eirian’s scroll really did no justice to the real thing. She looked like a clone of Chase, both likely twins, as they had the same black hair and silver eyes. They both even dressed in similar cowboy outfits. While Roxanne was wearing her usual outfit that she wore during her match, albeit swapping her boots for some casual sandals, Chase was dressed in a similar fashion.

The same red bandana around his neck, his own crimson coloured shirt was buttoned down to show most of his chest, only held down by the dark brown jacket similar to Roxanne’s. With a belt that was clasped together by a silver buckle and multiple capsules of different coloured Dust, he wore a lighter brown pair of pants and boots with strands of leather draping down from just a few inches from the top, matching the same tan as Roxanne’s pants. 

As he glanced between them, he noticed that both were wearing the same emblem. A black silhouette of a pistol. Yet each one was facing the opposite direction, like they were a set rather than the same weapon. 

“I’m sorry that my brother got you caught up like that.” She apologised. “He’s a bit of an idiot, but he honestly didn’t mean no harm. It’s one of his few virtues.”

“Hey, I got plenty of virtues.”

A teasing smile appearing faintly on her face. As she turned around, however, a new voice cut off whatever she was about to say.

“You two.” It was gruff, intimidating, and when the group turned around to see who it was, Adam could immediately see that the man was just as imposing as his voice.

With tanned skin and shaggy, brown hair poking out from his cowboy hat, he resembled the twins in fashion choices, albeit most of his torso was covered by a sky blue poncho decorated with light blue squares. 

His face was scarred terribly. The most striking of the bunch, a rugged scar running along the bridge of his nose, caught Adam’s attention immediately, though some of the smaller ones were hidden away by his thick beard. Amber brown eyes bore into his own. The strong gaze made him feel small, and just the aura radiating off the man made him realise that he was not one to trifle with.

Immediately, Roxanne was quick to untense the situation. “Professor Gale, I-”

“Not you.” He stopped, turning back to Chase and Sun as they stood there nervously. “Both of you, Eliana’s office. Now.”

Both of the boys looked at each other. Sun said nothing, rather following after Chase when the latter decided to follow the orders without fighting. As they entered the building, Professor Gale turned his attention to Adam himself. 

“One of Ozpin’s students.” He noted. “Let’s go. You can explain what happened to the Headmistress.”

“But I-”

“ _ Now. _ ”

Adam didn’t try to fight against it. Over the time in Beacon, he knew better than to rile up angry professors who were one mild inconvenience away from snapping. So, with a miserable groan, he was led into Shade itself by the teacher. Thankfully, Roxanne decided to stay with him for the walk up to the office.

Since it sat right at the top of Shade itself, the elevators were the only way to get up and down quickly. Unlike the old fashioned ones in Beacon, these were just open platforms with metal gates in front to stop anyone from falling off.

All four students piled in, waiting quietly while their professor joined them. As the elevator travelled up slowly, Adam looked over the railing, staring down at the ground far below before feeling someone gently pull him back. 

As he looked over, he noticed Roxanne staring at him. “Careful. You don’t wanna fall over that railing.”

Gulping to himself, he accepted her advice and stayed away from the railing for the rest of the way up the building. 

Finally, they reached the top.

A faint ding, and the platform stopped suddenly, the metal gates squeaked open, letting those aboard step off into a long hallway. With orange and light yellow stone walls on either side, Adam looked at the decorations that were etched into the very stone itself. 

Black cobras slithering along the walls, they coiled around buildings and people, each scale painfully scratched in as they walked slowly down the hallway. Eventually, they and the snakes decorating the walls reached two imposing doors. The reptiles slithered up the wood, both meeting in the middle as they curled around a stylised sun.

While he stared up at it, a heavy knock shocked him back into paying attention to his surroundings.

Professor Gale stood there, his large hand resting on the dark oak doors while he waited patiently. Soon enough, a sharp voice called out. “Enter.”

None disobeyed it. As they walked into the office itself, Adam looked around with surprise. It was beautifully decorated, with some aspects of Ozpin’s office transferred over with the wide bay window behind a giant desk, showing much of Isidis City, the oasis, and the horizon far beyond their borders. 

With the same light yellow walls and orange borders surrounding them, much were covered in thick plantlife, some even hanging from the balconies up above, bringing some lush greens to the arid office. The floors were made of dark stone, with only the light rug depicting the same snakes coiling around the sun as outside the room. 

Up on an elevated platform to them, a woman stood in front of her desk with her back turned to the students. 

The most catching thing about her was not the dark skin, or the reddish brown hair that curled up on her shoulders, or even the silver headdress that she wore like a crown, it was the bright red cape draped on her shoulders. Billowing in the breeze that came through the open windows, she grabbed everyone’s attention immediately. 

Even her voice commanded respect when she finally spoke. “Why have the Gods forsaken me with such disrespectful, reckless,  _ blasphemous  _ children?”

Chase grimaced at that. Slowly, he took a step out of the line that he and the other teenagers had made. 

“Mama, I-”

“Silence, I am speaking!” She spun around with a wave of her hand. 

Deep brown eyes pierced into them all, silencing Chase and keeping any from speaking in his place.

With a hand caressing the silver snake bracelet that coiled around her left wrist, Eliana continued. “Do you understand the task that I have been given from the day I left my tribe? The city that I am trying to raise from a bunch of infighting men?”

“Yes, Mama.” Chase muttered.

“Then why do you take it upon yourself to tear down that very city?” She towered over them all with words striking at them like lashes of a whip. “It is the duty I have taken, and when I pass on to the afterlife, it will be the duty of your sister. Have you learned nothing from what I’ve taught you? What do you even say to defend yourself?”

“I… Sun just wanted to-”

“I will stop you there. You are my eldest son, it is your responsibility not to be led astray by every want and desire of the siblings below you. Do you think Roxanne gives in because Aurora wants to ride a bike through one of our sacred temples?”

“No.”

“You have to realise that your desires are no more important than the desires of our kingdom. You are to be a Huntsman, but I will not grant you a license and the power that comes with it just for you to squander it!” She started descending down from the stairs. “One weak link is all that’s needed to break the chains of our society.”

As she stopped in front of Chase, he didn’t even look at her. Although he was taller than her, Roxanne, Sun, even Adam, he seemed so small at that moment, unable to even defend himself from the tongue lashing he was given. 

“And you.” Her attention quickly turned to Adam. 

With widened eyes, he stood there as Eliana moved in front of him. “One day in my city and you’re already causing a commotion. What do you have to say for yourself?”

“Mama, Adam wasn’t responsible for what happened.” Roxanne jumped in. “Chase had to grab him to make sure he didn’t run him over instead. It was just a tragedy.”

The hardened look in her eyes softened at that. With her voice no longer biting, she addressed Adam directly. “It seems the Gods have protected you from harm today. I see no reason to punish someone who has not committed a crime.”

Relief washed over him at that. The last thing he needed was getting into trouble after being in Vacuo for five minutes. 

When Eliana moved away from him, she returned to her desk and carried on lecturing poor Chase. “I will see to it that you repay your disrespect to the priestesses. Go.”

“Mama.” Chase took a step forward, eager to try and make it up to her, but before he could even get another word out, Professor Gale stopped him with a raised hand and a shake of his head

Pausing in his steps, Chase’s face fell to a scowl. He didn’t move for a moment. It was clear to see the anger in those eyes, how it inflamed when he looked over at Sun, who was only able to look back sadly before Chase turned around and stormed out of the office. 

As the doors slammed closed, Sun was quick to finally speak. “Mom- Mother. You know we’re both to blame for this.”

“Sun…” Eliana sighed softly. “I am sure you just want to help your brother, but you don’t understand the responsibility that sits on his shoulders. I can’t allow him to think he can let himself be led astray by anyone, even his own siblings.”

“You don’t need to be so hard on him. Just once, would it kill you to say you’re proud of him?” With that, Sun too stormed out of the room, following after Chase wherever he went.

While Adam watched the doors wing closed once more, he overheard Eliana speak. “Roxanne, please escort Adam here to the sleeping quarters for Beacon’s students. Make sure his team finds their way there, also.”

“Of course.” With a slight nod, Roxanne quickly approached Adam and led him out of the office, practically running out of there with how tense the air was. 

Honestly, he didn’t blame her. 

While they walked down the hallway again, he couldn’t help but feel grateful that she stuck up for him like that. Only a year ago, he would’ve told her to get lost, judged her because she was human, but if there was anything that Eirian and the friendly humans in Beacon had taught him, it was that he shouldn’t make his decision before knowing all the facts.

Roxanne was a kind person. He could tell just from what she did back there. 

Before they reached the elevator that led back down, she paused, turning back to Adam with an apologetic look. “I’m sorry you had to see that back there.”

“It’s alright. Not the first family feud I’ve found myself to be a part of.” He shrugged.

She laughed softly at that. 

“Well,” she started, pulling the lever to open the elevator’s doors. “Welcome to Shade.”


	29. Friendly Competition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the minor setback of Adam's disappearance thanks to a certain bike loving Shade student, Team AZRE reunite in Shade Academy and settle in fairly well. That night, they meet last year's winners of the Vytal Tournament; Team CRMN, and both teams agree to have a little sparring match to test each others' abilities and break the ice.

“So… Our leader just got kidnapped.”

Zanthus stood there blankly as Eirian muttered those words. None of them had said anything when Adam was swooped up and carried away by some boy on a hoverbike, too shocked to do anything about it. 

“ _ Is this some sort of Vacuan greeting? _ ” Ruri asked politely.

Both Eirian and Zanthus turned to her, the latter quipping back. “Ruri, how many places have abduction as a way to say hello?”

“ _ I’m just asking! _ ” She shot back in a huff. “ _ None of us are really from here. Perhaps there’s some cultural aspects in Isidis City that’s not common anywhere else. _ ”

“She has a point.” Zanthus sighed at the two girls beside him. 

“I’m really doubting that’s the case,  _ but- _ ” he paused as he led what was left of the team up one of the streets that led to Shade. “We can get to the Academy this way. Hopefully, one of the professors can help us find Adam.”

As he started walking through the crowded streets, Eirian and Ruri following after him, he was surprised to see that the citizens were nowhere as shocked by the incident as he thought they would’ve been. A moment of surprise, a few throwing curses at the boys on the bikes, and then they went about their day as if nothing happened.

One man in front of a fruit stand seemed particularly heated. “Damn kids.”

“You know them?” Zanthus inquired, curious to figure out more about the mysterious kidnappers. 

Previously tending to his fruit, the old man turned his head to the trio. He seemed just like many in the city. Tanned skin worn from decades of living in the harsh climate, his loose fitting yellow gown was tied with a brownish orange belt and a scarlet robe draped over his shoulders. Mouth hidden behind a thick white beard, his voice sharp and to the point.

“My son, everyone in the city knows those boys.” He started, gesturing down the street in frustration. “ _ Manhig _ ’s sons. Chase Marrón and Sun Wukong. This sort of childish behaviour is almost a daily occurrence with those troublemakers.”

Eirian quickly piped up. “Manhig?”

“It’s an old Vacuan word that means Leader or Head. He’s talking about Headmistress Eliana.” Zanthus explained.

The old man caught that and exclaimed proudly. “You speak our tongue?”

“I know a few words that my mother taught me.” The feline Faunus elaborated. “I’m not much of a fluent speaker.”

“What tribe did your mother come from?”

“Leib.”

Thick eyebrows raised considerably in shock. “A son of the twelve tribes! Most tend to stay in their own territories outside the city, so we rarely meet any here.  _ Shalom aleichem. _ ”

“ _ Aleichem shalom. _ ” Zanthus replied cheerfully. “I never knew the headmistress had children.”

“The students are her children, but she’s taken those two and a few others under her guidance especially. Roxanne and Aurora Marrón are godsends to their mother, but the boys? If he isn’t tearing up the city with Sun, Chase is sleeping with half the population.”

Ruri blushed brightly at that. 

“Sounds like a real charmer.” Zanthus joked to Eirian.

“It’s no joke, son.” The fruit seller scolded. “Isidis City may be a religiously tolerant state, but the Priestess of Khufu has power over most by just having the  _ manhig’s  _ ear. That woman has little patience for extramarital activity.”

Zanthus’ ears drooped at that. Confusion clear on his face, he leaned closer to Ruri. “What’s that mean?”

“ _ Sex outside marriage. _ ”

“I saw they took on a joyrider this time.” The trio’s interest peaked at that. “I’d never seen him before. Poor boy looked like he wanted to be anywhere else, and I don’t blame him.”

“Yeah, that was our friend.” Eirian revealed. 

“Friend?”

“Yeah. We’re from Beacon, and we were just looking around the city before heading up to Shade Academy, but then our friend kinda got… kidnapped?” She laughed nervously at that.

“Best head up to the Academy fast. Your friend won’t find many friends up there once Chase finishes his little race.” The old man gestured down the road that had been torn up by the bikes. “Take that road, it’ll lead you to the main street leading up the mountain.  _ L’hitraot. _ ”

Taking note of the directions, Zanthus nodded and replied softly. “ _ L’hitraot. _ ”

With that, the old man turned his back to them, tending the fruit that hadn’t been hit by Chase and his hoverbike.

Worry started to gnaw at Zanthus’ gut. At first, he was sure Adam would be fine, but the idea of him getting into trouble after only being in Isidis City for an  _ hour  _ made the anxiety all the more worse. 

Turning to the others, he was quick to order them. “Let’s go.”

It wasn’t particularly hard to follow the damage. Even without tires, there were countless witnesses that day who could point them in the right direction, each and every one either nursing destroyed possessions or dropped groceries. It was easy to see the frustration when the group had to help the third woman pick up her flattened bread. 

The worst part was the bread was already flat to begin with.

Eventually, they managed to get up to the top of the mountain. A strenuous activity, the journey left everyone flushed and panting heavily, their aching feet throbbing with each step. Thankfully, the statue that towered over Shade itself also blocked the sun out. Any shelter from the heat that they could find was greatly appreciated. 

“Hey!” Eirian suddenly blurted out. “Aren’t those the bikes we saw before?”

Following where she was pointing, Zanthus too was surprised to see the very bikes parked up near the entrance of the school. 

Yet no Adam. No Chase.

Disappointed, he slowly limped towards the entrance. “Come on, they should be inside by no-”

“Zanthus, look!” Eirian quickly interrupted him with a huge grin. “It’s her! Over there!”

Frustrated, he at least thought against ignoring Eirian’s intrusion and followed where she was pointing, finding that she was, in fact, telling the truth.

Leaving the school building, Roxanne didn’t seem to notice them first. In fact, she seemed quite distracted, talking to someone beside her with a smile. It wasn’t Adam. Yet, Zanthus quickly recognised them, smiling warmly as he approached the pair quickly. “Hey there, Steven.”

Steven turned to him in surprise, though it vanished soon enough as he replied cheerfully. “Hi, Zanthus. I was wondering when you three would get here.”

“Seen Adam by any chance?” Zanthus was quick to inquire. 

There, Roxanne was the one to answer. “You’re his team? I was just about to come and find you.”

The worry in Zanthus’ stomach worsened. He couldn’t help it, finding his mind playing so many scenarios where Adam was in trouble, or the trouble had come for his team as well. The anxiety showed on his face as clear as day with his ears dipping. 

Roxanne picked up on his worries and gently comforted him. “He’s fine. Mama didn’t do anything with him since, you know, it wasn’t his fault my brother was being an idiot. I was just asked to find you guys so I can show you the dorms you’d be staying in.”

“Oh… Thank the Gods for that.” Zanthus exhaled deeply. 

“I was just catching up with Roxanne, anyway.” Steven joined in. “Despite the match last year, we actually had fun together while in Haven. I just wanted to catch up with her.”

“Steven was actually telling me about you four.” The trio nervously looked at each other with that, standing there uncomfortably while Roxanne crossed her arms. “All good things. Sad that we didn’t get to meet each other sooner.”

“Yeah… Funny story about that.” Eirian rubbed the back of her neck when Zanthus and Ruri glared at her heatedly. 

“One I’m sure can wait for another time.” Roxanne laughed softly, turning to gesture for them to follow her. “Come on, I’ll show you guys where you’ll be staying.”

“I should get going anyway. My own team should already be in the city by now. Don’t wanna keep them waiting.” Steven confessed as he started to walk away. “I’ll make sure to check up on you guys later!”

“Bye, Stanley!” Eirian shouted after him, waving with a grin back on her face. 

Neither Zanthus or Ruri bothered to correct her that time. Roxanne, on the other hand, was visibly confused, though said nothing when Zanthus raised his hand and shook his head silently. With a shrug of her shoulders, she let the brief confusion go. 

As they entered the school, the newcomers looked around with surprise in their eyes. It was so different compared to Beacon. 

White marble pillars held up the ceiling, decorated with black snakes that coiled around up to the top. Walls built from chiseled sandstone and orange clay, the warm hues settled on the entire school, bathed in the golden sunlight that beamed through the open windows. The heat was tolerable with the low hum of the air conditioning on, the cool breeze settling on Zanthus’ bare skin.

It was soothing. 

As she led them through the hallways, Roxanne finally spoke. “You guys actually came here in good time.”

“Oh?” Zanthus replied inquisitively. 

“Yeah, most students who come here for the Vytal Festival tend to get lost. Isidis City is like a maze, you know? Repels any armies from just storming in during invasions, if they ever make it this far.” She revealed. “Since the Great War and the expulsion of Atlas from Vacuo and the colonies under it, Vacuo’s been able to build itself up from just a bunch of tribes trying to kill each other.”

“Isn’t Isidis City itself only a couple of decades old? Why would a city in a time of peace build itself with repelling armies in mind?” Eirian asked politely.

Roxanne seemed serious for a moment. Pausing her steps, she stood there, her back to the group while they too stopped in their tracks. 

With a frown, she turned to Eirian and answered the question. “Peace doesn’t last forever. A good leader prevents disasters, not just reacts to them.”

“ _ Wouldn’t readying yourself for a war that doesn’t even exist send a bad message to the population? _ ” Ruri pointed out.

“Perhaps, but which is better? Having people who are alive to question you, or appeasing those who will die from disasters you could’ve prevented in the first place?” She paused for a moment, before sighing. “You’re being trained to be Huntsmen, but Huntsmen to the rest of Remnant are very different to Huntsmen here. We’re leaders, so Mama trains us with that in mind.”

“But doesn’t that put an unfair advantage over the rest of your people?” Eirian countered. “The whole reason Huntsmen have such strict laws put over them are because we’re so dangerous. We have access to abilities that no one else can ever dream of; Aura, Semblances, uncontested fighting abilities.”

Zanthus nodded at that. “Leaders in the other kingdoms are no different physically from the people they rule over. To have Huntsmen at the top with nothing keeping them in check… who’s gonna stop them when they go rogue?”

“You really think so little of us that you’d believe we have nothing in place to stop that?” Roxanne’s eyes hardened at that. “We self-govern ourselves. Why should we listen to those who only want us as glorified weapons?”

“That’s not what the others think of us at all! We’re heroes, protectors of the people!” Eirian gasped.

“Until we’re no longer useful. Do you even know what happens to Huntsmen who retire, or are crippled so badly that they can’t continue their duties?” 

Roxanne’s question left them stumped. 

With no answer that satisfied her, she answered for them. “They’re cast out and have to survive on what little charity your governments decide to give them. At least here, they can retire in peace.”

“Have you actually seen what the other kingdoms are like for yourself?” Zanthus shot back.

Roxanne didn’t answer immediately. With her arms crossed, she looked away with a thoughtful look. 

Finally, she muttered back. “I’ve seen enough to know.”

Without another word, the conversation was dropped, leaving everyone there feeling a bit down and unsure. 

It was a heavy topic. One that, in Zanthus’ time at Beacon, had never really been given much thought. Professor Melina put it in their minds that being a Huntsman was dangerous, that the abilities they could cultivate put them above the average person, and it was that power that needed to be controlled.

Yet Vacuo didn’t follow that rule, and they thrived as well. Huntsmen were given the power to not only govern the kingdom, but to govern themselves, and it was seeing that for himself that gave Zanthus pause.

Was handing over complete control to others who didn’t know a Huntsman’s struggle and sacrifices wise? Or was it just a matter of time before they were discarded by those very people who didn’t understand in the first place?

By the time they reached the dorms a couple of floors from the ground, Zanthus had completely zoned out with his thoughts stuck on that topic. 

“With Shade Academy being bigger than any of the other Academies, we’re able to keep dorms inside to house students who come here from the other kingdoms.” Roxanne explained, opening the door for the trio. “Go ahead and pack your stuff away. Dinner will be in an hour.”

They didn’t need to be told twice before rushing inside, with Roxanne closing the door to give them some privacy. Carrying heavy bags across the city in the blistering heat was not a pleasant experience. 

It was so beautiful inside. With the same light stone walls as the rest of the Academy, the ceiling was draped in dark red and orange fabrics, all pinned up in the centre where a light was fixed into the stone. As they walked across the patterned carpet, Zanthus noticed that, rather than separate beds lined up in a row like back home, the beds were built into the wall, four separate holes that had curtains to give the person privacy.

Matching the colours of the drapes on the ceiling, the curtains were currently pulled back and tied with golden weaved ropes. 

It wasn’t long before a familiar face popped out from one of the bed caverns in the room. “Hey, guys.”

“Adam! Glad to see you made it after your abduction!” Eirian greeted ecstatically, moving to lift her obnoxiously large suitcase onto her bed. “Have you met Roxanne?” 

“Yeah, she’s pretty friendly.” Adam paused momentarily. “For the most part.”

“She’s certainly an opinionated person.” Zanthus added.

“I dunno, I like that about her.” Eirian brushed off, zipping her bag open before pausing. “Nabk, you can come out now.” 

The top of her head moved about at the sound of her voice. Suddenly, Nabk poked his head out, resting on top of his owner with a quizzical chirp. 

Reaching up to him, she pulled the fussy bird out and placed him on the bed, ignoring his cries with a quick. “Stop it. You can’t hide in my hood all day.”

While she wrestled with the bird, trying to stop him from climbing back up, Zanthus turned to the quiet Ruri. “What’d you think of her, Ruri?” 

The silent girl paused in her unpacking. Glancing over at her friend, he noticed her scales flushing purple for a moment, Ruri cupping one of her cheeks while signing in embarrassment. “ _ She’s really pretty, and smart. I like her. _ ”

“Sounds like a crush.” Eirian innocently pointed out.

“ _ It’s not a crush! _ ” Ruri huffed, spinning around with widened eyes. “ _ It’s… more admiration. _ ”

“A crush.” Eirian was quickly incapacitated by a rogue pillow thrown her way.

Hitting her in the face with deadly accuracy, Ruri ignored her friend as she laid on the bed, returning to unpacking while Zanthus lightened the mood with a laugh.

“There’s nothing wrong with liking someone like that, Ruri.” He comforted, approaching her as he placed a hand on her shoulder. “It’s perfectly natural. Honestly, you’re only hurting yourself when you don’t let your emotions out properly.”

“ _ And have you done so? _ ” She retorted with a knowing look.

Zanthus completely blanked. Staring blankly at her, he could feel his brain completely stall, unable to think of a reply while she just stood there waiting. A smirk slowly forming on her face, it didn’t lessen even when he shot back quietly. “You’re not a nice person.”

Purple eyes glanced between him and Adam, who was completely unaware of the current conversation as he was too busy trying to pull Nabk from Eirian’s hair. Angered squawking and frantic yells behind them, Ruri took the distraction and signed to him. “ _ Are you ever going to be honest with him? _ ”

“No. He has other things to worry about. Blake, the White Fang, school.” Zanthus peeked over his shoulder at the unsuspecting teen. “Let him mourn properly.”

Thankfully, Ruri understood the reasons and agreed with a small nod. 

Their conversation over and Nabk successfully removed from Eirian’s hair, the team managed to unpack the rest of their belongings, all while trying to catch up with what exactly happened to Adam when Chase grabbed him off the street. 

“So what’s he like?” Eirian asked while folding one of her shirts. “Was he tall, dark and handsome? Did you hear wedding bells when he swept you off your feet?”

“Shut up.” Adam threw another pillow at her. 

This time, she managed to grab it, holding it under her arm while her excitement bled into her words. “Oh, come on! He’s a pretty boy, and everyone needs a little romance!”

“Not everyone would agree.” He retorted. 

Zanthus kept out of it, trying his best not to seem too against the idea of Adam liking Chase while he put away some of his clothes. He didn’t want to be jealous. If Adam liked someone else, he would just be happy that his friend found someone. Even if it would still hurt. 

“ _ Not many people seem to think highly of him here. _ ” Ruri signed. “ _ They told us this isn’t the first time he’s caused trouble in the city. _ ”

“Well, the headmistress wasn’t happy when we got to Shade. Practically chewed him out for all the damage he’d done.” Adam explained. “Thing is, though… She wasn’t as angry towards Sun. Seemed that Chase got most of the trouble for being the oldest.”

“Older siblings tend to get the aggro when their siblings do something wrong. Supposed to be the one looking out for them.” Zanthus spoke. 

Adam nodded in agreement. “True. Still, it felt like this wasn’t the first time, either.”

“ _ Maybe we shouldn’t pry into other peoples’ business. _ ” Ruri was quick to dismiss. “ _ Right now, I want to get unpacked and head down for dinner. _ ”

“Oh, same. I’m starved.” Eirian agreed. 

With the curiosity around Eliana and Chase suppressed, the team were quick to unpack the rest of their things and head downstairs to where the dining hall should be. 

It wasn’t particularly hard to find. Especially with hordes of students all moving in one direction, like a tsunami wave of bodies that nearly swept the team away. Zanthus had to hold onto Eirian, the smallest member nearly dragged off by others while they piled into the giant hall being prepared for dinner. 

Just like the dorms, the dining hall was decorated with fabrics clinging to the ceiling, multiple chandeliers hanging down with the lights shining brightly, providing some light as the sun dipped below the horizon outside the open windows. The long tables decorated with red clothes, giant, circular platters were laid out with so many different foods. 

Spices wafted through the air, drifting into Zanthus’ nose as his interest piqued. It smelled so wonderful. 

Even the others agreed as, taking their spots, they immediately tucked into the foods. 

“They have papayas!” Eirian gasped, plucking a few from the basket near them. “I  _ love  _ papayas!”

“I know some of these from Beacon… kinda.” Adam mused over a sauce covered meatball. “Not many options here from other kingdoms, though.”

“All the more reason that Beacon is praised for being diverse. All the other kingdoms put their own cultures over others.” Zanthus shrugged, enjoying a turkey skewer.

Adam didn’t argue with that. As they sat there chowing down, Zanthus took a moment to look around at the others who surrounded them. 

The air was thick with conversation, his sensitive ears quickly overwhelmed as they folded back into his fluffy hair. While the noise was little more than dozens of conversations molded together, he did notice one, a deep voice laced with humour. “Mind if we sit here?”

Turning to the source, he was surprised. Standing right there with a smirk on his face and a plate in his hand was Chase, and from the people behind him, he wasn’t alone. 

Glancing over his shoulder, Adam gestured to the empty spaces next to them with a flick of his head. “Sure.”

Chase wasted no time in taking a spot next to Zanthus. While the rest of his team settled down at the table too, he seemed more interested in the blonde. “Take it you’re the guy at Hotep Palazar from before.”

“The one who’s leader you snatched up, yeah.” Zanthus shot back. “Thanks for that, by the way. We had to carry his bag all the way up the mountain in the heat.”

Chase chuckled at that. “Sorry. Didn’t wanna flatten your leader, ya know? But give him his due, he’s a very good rider.”

“I like riding too.” Eirian piped up innocently. “I always wanted a bike, but we only had horses back home.”

“We keep horses down in the lower levels of the city for recon. Gravity Dust is expensive, and sand tends to get clogged up in machinery when you try to cross the deserts on it.” Roxanne commented. “Vacuan horses tend to be hardier than most, at least besides those that live in Samson’s Valley or the Khangris Mountains in Mistral.”

“Atlesian machinery was built to deal with the snow and ice. Once we brought them over to Vacuo during the occupation, we found that sand is a much bigger obstacle to get around.” The girl beside Roxanne confessed.

When Zanthus turned his attention towards her, he noticed that unlike the friendlier twins by him and Adam, she was far more cold. 

There was no smile on her pale face, those golden eyes watching them all intently, like she was assessing each and every one of the team without saying a word. Even her outfit was so different from the more warm coloured and appropriate to Vacuo’s climate; a deep purple tunic with a darker purple triangle pointing downwards on the chest, black mesh covering her arms and her neck.

Deep purple hair pulled back into a tight bun at the nape of her neck, she wore braids on either side that wrapped around her head like a crown, pinned into the bun itself. 

While Zanthus was curious, Adam immediately turned hostile. “Maybe if Atlas were actually smart, they’d learn about the places before they start invading. Or just keep out of other kingdoms’ business.”

“It was to spread our technology.” The girl snapped back. “Atlas is the youngest kingdom, and yet we are the most advanced. It would be wrong to keep that away from those who could benefit from it.”

“So Atlas was just helping the savages now? Did a poor job when they couldn’t even get their own machines to work properly.” 

She scowled at that. “Atlas didn’t go the right way about it, but I don’t believe they did all of this just to be a villain. There has to be more to it.”

“No, they did it because they could.” Adam scoffed. “They made a life off the backs of Faunus and decide that everyone should be like them while not giving a damn about looking at their lives.”

“There are plenty of people who found their lives were improved by what Atlas had to offer. Argus, Elysian, Themiscyra, all settlements in Mistral that survive because of Atlas.” 

“But you have kingdoms that suffered because of Atlas.” Eirian piped up. “Menagerie, Vacuo, even the natives of Solitas. My people lost most of the metal in our mines because Atlas took it all and then left all the Faunus that they brought to Menagerie to fend for themselves.”

“ _ Not to mention the Great War because Mistral and Atlas wanted to suppress religion and cultures. _ ” Ruri added. 

The girl seemed frustrated. “Atlas may had been wrong in how it handled it, but I won’t say it’s wrong to share technological advancements with others to improve overall standards of life.”

“No one’s saying that sharing what we discover amongst each other is wrong.” Zanthus debated with her calmly. “But the way Atlas went about it? Not only did they pull everyone in a decade long war that nearly devastated the planet and brought Grimm to every settlement across Remnant, but they now build themselves up on the very resources that they took from everyone else.”

“We can’t even buy Dust now without it tracing back to the  _ SDC. _ ” Adam couldn’t stop the bitterness in his voice from seeping through.

Zanthus fell quiet for a moment, glancing over nervously as he couldn’t help but stare at the bandage. So much pain and trauma carried on his face. Hidden away from everyone around him, they carried on without knowing just how far the SDC went to control their workers. To punish them. 

Only his team, his closest friends, knew about it. All of them silently agreed to take the secret to their graves.

There, he overheard the conversation continue as the Atlesian girl conceded. “I may have phrased it wrong. I apologise that I’ve offended you all.”

“Mauve isn’t intentionally horrible.” Roxanne jumped in. “Honestly, it’s more ignorance than malice. Atlas and all the colonies that still run under their government rely on misinformation to paint history in their favour.”

“So they rely on propaganda?” Zanthus asked.

“Pretty much. Spending time in a kingdom that was actively affected by Atlas seems to have an effect in opening her eyes to the truth, but it’s hard shaking off things you were taught were true from a young age.” She took a sip from her cup. 

Mauve was quick to add. “I wish to visit many of the places that I was taught about one day. Mantle, Solitas’ last native strongholds, Menagerie.”

“Menagerie might be… a bit of a hurdle.” Eirian gently declined with a grimace.

“Humans aren’t welcome.” Adam grumbled. “ _ Especially  _ Atlesian humans.”

Mauve frowned at that. Turning away from the new team, she stared down at her meal, a twinge of sadness appearing in those eyes before she hardened them again. 

The air went tense, a heavy weight sitting on everyone there. Zanthus could feel it. He could always see and feel when his friends were getting near the end of their patience, especially Adam, finding the latter sitting there with a big scowl on his face. Gently, he moved the conversation away from the sensitive topics.

“So, who’s your friend?” He asked as he pointed at the quiet boy who sat besides Chase. 

An eyebrow raised, Chase glancing beside him to the boy before cheerfully introducing him. “This here’s Niccolo, but we just call him Nicci for short. He, uh… he doesn’t talk much.”

Niccolo looked away when his friend said that. Tense, he looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there, and when Zanthus got a proper look at him, he could see why Niccolo was so silent.

A teenager as old as the others, he looked worn from whatever he had been through, his tanned skin marked with small scars across the parts that were bared, like his arms and parts of his collarbones. A light green shirt unbuttoned for the first few held back by olive green suspenders, attaching themselves to the dark brown pants while he comfortably fastened what looked like a green plaid shirt by its sleeves.

His head was all shaved save for the puffy top of tan hair, a pair of floppy black ears sitting on top where one could see he had no human ears. Just like so many other Faunus that had more animalistic ears. 

But that wasn’t the most striking part of his appearance. As he turned to wave shyly at the new team, the left side of his face was completely scarred. Dull skin that had long scarred over, marked by brighter red splotches that looked painful, his eye wasn’t even saved from whatever incident gave him that injury. 

One bright emerald green, the other was just like Adam’s; the sclera a brownish red while the iris itself had turned to a lifeless grey. There was no life left in that one eye. 

None of them pointed it out, obviously. 

“He’s been living in Vacuo for a good couple of years now, same as me and Roxxie.” Chase elaborated. “We don’t actually know where he came from before. He never really said.”

“Hi, Niccolo! I’m Eirian!” Eirian introduced herself with a bright smile, leaning over the table as she waved at him. 

The high energy seemed to have scared him even more. Eye widening, he leaned further behind Chase, trying to hide himself from their view while his friend laughed nervously. 

“Yeah, ya can’t really do that to Nicci. He gets nervous, especially around new people. At least, when he’s Nicci, that is.”

“When he’s Nicci? What’d you mean by that?” Zanthus asked.

Chase didn’t reply immediately, glancing over at Roxanne and Mauve with a forced grin while they groaned in frustration. 

Surprisingly, it was Mauve rather than Roxanne who went on to explain. “Niccolo has DID.”

“What’s that?” Eirian joined in inquisitively. 

“It’s like there’s different people in one body. The therapist we have in the Academy tried to explain it to us, actually.” She allowed Niccolo to hold her hand for comfort while she carried on. “Something happened to him when he was a kid, before he came to Vacuo. He won’t tell us what it was, but we think it’s what gave him that scar.”

“Whatever it was, it fucked him up so badly that his brain just… couldn’t handle it. Started making up different identities to try and handle it.” Chase quickly jumped in. 

Mauve nodded at that. “Some people don’t really get it, so they treat him differently. A Faunus suffering from something that people don’t get? It’s hard for him. But we’ve lived with him for nearly two years, and we know he’s not dangerous.”

“So he’s Niccolo, right now?” Eirian asked as she watched him curiously.

Suddenly, Niccolo answered the question himself, actually showing his face with a quiet reply. “Yes.”

“Niccolo’s the most shy of them all.” Mauve smiled at him. “But he can be a bit more friendly when he gets to know you. You’re just new to him.”

“So… how many people are in his head?” Zanthus inqueried.

Chase leaned back in the seat, whistling softly to himself before confessing. “‘Bout five. Doc said there could be more that just haven’t shown, or more that could pop up if his psyche fractures more.”

“What’s a psyche?” Zanthus whispered to Ruri.

“ _ Fancy word for the mind. _ ”

“If he’s nervous around new people, how about we do something to introduce ourselves properly?” Eirian suddenly offered. “Like a, uh…. I dunno…”

“We could have a spar?” Chase suggested. 

“Isn’t it a bit late for that sorta thing?” Adam glanced over at the window to see that, sure enough, the sun had vanished below the horizon and the night skies had replaced all light from before. 

The inquiry made Chase laugh in amusement, his silver eyes scrunched up as he replied. “We like to practice the old brawlin’ after the sun goes down. Trying to do any exercise in the desert in a one way ticket to a heat stroke.”

“You mean like what you got after trying to beat Sun in a race across the whole of Shade two years ago?” Roxanne suddenly revealed.

The smile on his face turned more to a grimace as Chase recalled gingerly. “Yeah, but I won that race, so it was worth the week of cold sweats and cramps.”

Everyone silently winced at that. When he found that  _ no one  _ agreed with him on that, he simply laughed it off with a quick wink. “Ya know me, Roxxie. Never give anything half assed when it’s something to win.”

Roxanne giggled at that. 

“Well,” Zanthus started as he glanced at his own team. “I guess it’s as good a way as any to break the ice. Give us a good first hand look at what we’re all capable of, too.”

“I left my belt in the dorm room…” Eirian muttered to Adam, her voice picked up by Zanthus’ sensitive ears. 

Thankfully, Adam was quick to find a solution as he jumped in. “Let’s get geared up first and meet at…”

“The training grounds on the fifth floor are free tonight.” Roxanne interrupted with a pleased smile. “You can get to it easily enough. Just past Professor Gale’s office and the boy’s bathroom, and you should find the balcony doors leading right to it.”

“Sounds easy enough. Let’s go.” Zanthus casually stood up from the table with his team following suit. 

While Chase and his own group got up and left to get ready, the newcomers strolled back to their own dorm full of excitement. Eirian most of all, the energetic girl practically busting the door down in her goal of finding her lost belt.

As she tore through the room like a ravenous wolverine, the rest of her team gathered their weapons in a more controlled manner. 

Zanthus clipped his vambraces on tightly. With a flex of his wrist, he watched the long claws popping in and out of the holes within the pieces of armour strapped to him, the gold metal shimmering in the bedroom light. The heavy weight on his arms were familiar, almost comforting in a way, but the idea of a fight left him with dread. 

It was just a friendly sparring match. There was nothing that could go wrong. 

As the group geared up and left the room to find where the training floor was, he kept repeating that to himself. Just like in class. Nothing could happen if he was just careful.

It actually wasn’t that hard to find the training grounds with Roxanne’s directions. Past Professor Gale’s office and then the boys’ bathroom, they found the open balcony doors leading out into the open space outside the tiered building. 

Night air felt cold on his skin, he pulled his cape further around him, letting out a chilled shiver while Adam just strolled by nonchalantly. “Now this is a more natural temperature.”

“It’s  _ freezing. _ ” Zanthus stammered through gritted teeth.

“Never let you visit Atlas, then.” A small smirk thrown his way had Zanthus retreating back into his safe cacoon of fabric.

All around them, the training grounds were certainly different to Beacon. Rather than fields separate from the actual main buildings back home, Shade had the balconies on its tiered building converted into fenced off areas for the students to train on. No trees or vegetation for cover, the desert skies above were completely visible wherever one stood on the ground.

No light pollution to hide the stars away, the beauty was for all to see. Galaxies that stretch from horizon to horizon, white stars that burned so bright, small orbs that scattered across the purple and blue space dust that drifted millions of light years away. The moon, shining so bright against the darkness of the skies, hovered up above, the shattered pieces that drifted away leaving trails of white dust behind them. 

As Zanthus approached the railing that surrounded the entirety of the open balcony, he stared across the whole city that lived down below.

Suddenly, a familiar voice spoke while an arm rested around his shoulders. “Glad to see you guys finally got here.”

Glancing to the side, he noticed it was Chase, that same grin plastered on his face.

“Enjoying the view?” he asked in amusement, winking at Zanthus slyly. “There’s better sights over here if you wanna take a peek.”

Raising an eyebrow, Zanthus looked over to see the rest of Chase’s team hanging on in the background. They’d quickly joined the conversation with the rest of his own team, both chatting away while he took a moment to enjoy the view of the dimly lit city.

Moving closer to the railing, Chase turned his back to it, leaning casually while trying to get a conversation out of the Faunus. “Ya know, I pinned you as one of us when I first saw you. Where’d ya say you’re from?”

“I lived all over Remnant.” Zanthus confessed. “But my mother was from Vacuo originally. Leib Tribe of Samson’s Valley.”

“Heard of them. I myself came from the outlands up north.  _ La Llanura de Grande. _ ”

“We learned about that in our first year at Beacon. Supposed to be a giant plains that stretches across the top of Vacuo, just before you hit the Kom Ombo Jungle.”

“It was dry and most of the towns there had a bit of an infestation problem, if you catch my drift.” Chase grimaced to himself. “You ask me, and I’ll tell ya; it’s better in the cities than out there wandering around.”

Zanthus shrugged. “Some of the tribes prefer to keep to the old ways.”

“The old ways don’t keep you alive.”

Zanthus didn’t really have a chance to argue with that, frowning in frustration when Chase simply slapped him on the back and guided him away from the railing with a more cheerful tone. “Ain’t no point complaining about the past. Let’s get this friendly match started!”

When they rejoined the group, Roxanne stared at the newcomers with a suspecting look.

“What were you two gossiping ‘bout over there?”

“Boys. What’s the plan here?” Chase sarcastically retorted, changing the topic quickly.

Round eyes narrowing into a glare, Roxanne let the small jab go and took it upon her to explain to those around her. “It’s simple. Four on four, weapons and Semblances allowed, but we do have to try and keep environmental damage to a minimum.”

“ _ That sounds simple enough, if someone keeps her bomb happy birds under control. _ ” Ruri made a point to obviously look at Eirian.

Giggling nervously, she was quick to put all worries to rest. “I fixed the ratio of Dust to clay for training sessions. After last time…”

Zanthus could still clearly remember how it felt being flung through that boulder. 

“Alright, then…” Roxanne glanced between them with a raised eyebrow before gesturing for her team to follow her. “Let’s get this started. Can’t say I’m not curious to test out the competition.”

Zanthus and his own teammates put some space between them and their opponents, gathering in a tight knit circle while Adam took control and started ordering them quickly.

“This may be a friendly sparring match, but let’s not forget that this can be the perfect opportunity to figure out how last year’s winners fight together and separate.” He turned to Eirian beside him. “You watched the matches last year fully. We know how Roxanne fights, but you got any idea how the others work?”

“Uh… I might have missed the four on four match involving them.” She confessed quietly.

When Adam frowned at her for that, she was quick to add. “But I did manage to grab the two on two match! It was only Mauve and Roxanne, but it looks like Mauve’s the tank of the team.”

“ _ So Zanthus. _ ”

“Yeah!”

“I’m not a tank, I’m just stronger than you guys.” Zanthus muttered defensively.

“That’s a tank.” Eirian moved on to elaborate. “It’s like in those video games. She hits hard, but she’s pretty slow. She also fights with a long bat thingie.”

“Long bat thingie, that’s very helpful, Eirian.” Adam sighed.

Zanthus quickly took the chance. “I can handle her. Roxanne’ll be the most challenging, though.”

“ _ I’ll keep an eye on her. _ ” Ruri offered.

“Good.” Adam agreed, turning to wrap up the conversation. “Let’s see what they can do.”

As they parted once more, Zanthus gave a quick high five to Eirian before turning around to see the Vacuan team ready and waiting. 

Despite not being the leader, Roxanne took centre stage to their formation, watching each and every one of Team AZRE with a neutral expression on her face. None made a move under her gaze.

With the silence falling over them, a moment of still drifted as both teams stood there. 

The fight began in an instant. 

Roxanne was the first to move. In a flash, she was in front of Adam, flipping over his horizontal slash with her right leg lifted over her head. He couldn’t move fast enough to block the harsh kick to the top of his skull. The force alone slammed him into the ground, stunning Adam while she moved to Eirian. 

Managing to counter Ruri’s blows and hooking an arm around her’s, Roxanne flipped Ruri over onto her back, kicking Eirian’s sword out of her hands quickly.

The blade spun up in the air. Suddenly, a gunshot rang out the air, bouncing off the sword and hitting Eirian in the shoulder. A pained yelp escaped her, the shot knocking her to the ground with the breath knocked right out of her. 

Zanthus glanced over in the direction it came from, finding Chase standing there with a smoking gun, that same smirk on his face.

“First thing to know ‘bout me,” he joked. “I never miss a shot.”

With Adam already back on his feet, Zanthus gave him one look, and with a shared nod, they rushed for Chase and the rest of the team. 

Something black appeared in the corner of his eye. On reflex, he lifted both arms, crossing them when the weapon slammed straight into them. Sparks flew as metal grated on metal, Zanthus shrugging off the blow as he found himself quickly thrown in a match with Mauve. 

She was a force of nature. Towering over Zanthus himself, she fought in slow but strong blows, swinging that giant baton-like weapon around while using her free hand to block Zanthus’ punches. Parrying one of his fists, he ducked in time to dodge a swing, feeling the air distort around the weapon itself as it missed by just a few inches. 

Muscles ached terribly, the strength he needed just to keep up with her nothing like his friendly matches with his own team. To have someone not only match but almost overpower him was a terrifying ordeal. 

It didn’t help that Chase was hanging in the background. 

As he kept out of the fighting, he shot at his opponents with deadly aim, using anything he could to ricochet his bullets and alter their trajectory. 

He couldn’t take his eyes off Mauve to watch out for the storm of bullets that were shot at him, nor could he even look out for his other teammates. As he grabbed hold of Mauve’s arm and spun around, pushing himself into her stomach, he flipped her over his shoulder and threw the heavy weight into the ground. 

Grunting in pain, she was stunned just long enough for Zanthus to check his surroundings.

Surprisingly, Adam and Eirian were working together. While she kept to the skies, Adam stayed on the ground, having an easier time fighting off Niccolo. Both danced around the space, Adam deflecting blows from Niccolo as the latter wielded an axe, spinning it around to deflect Adam’s sword before the components in the middle of the handle shifted. 

As Adam kicked him away, Niccolo used the momentum from the blow to flip over back onto his feet, using the new space between them to aim their weapon. The handle having folded into itself and a large, circular disk surrounding the muzzle of his gun. 

Suddenly, rapid fire shot through the air. Bullets flying straight at Adam, the leader was quick to deflect them in quick succession, almost looking like a blur to Zanthus’ eye. It was starting to tire him out. Sandwiched between Chase and Niccolo, Adam had found himself deflecting fire from both sides.

Zanthus moved out of instinct. Just like Roxanne had done before, he kicked Mauve’s baton right out of her grip as she moved to hit him, raising an arm to block a jab to the side of his head before he grabbed her wrist and yanked her forward. 

His knee shot up, digging straight into Mauve’s stomach. As she fell to her knees, he grabbed the falling baton before it too could hit the floor and spun around, throwing it right at Niccolo as hard as he could. 

It should’ve hit the target square on. 

But it didn’t.

Instead, bones jutted right out of Niccolo’s skin, pale white against dark tan, they were as hard as steel and deflected the baton before it could even hit Niccolo himself. 

All it succeeded in doing was diverting the student’s attention. Glancing over at Zanthus, Niccolo moved to go after him, the bones poking out of his shoulder pulling themselves back in. The sight itself made the feline Faunus nauseous. 

Suddenly, a wave of red energy slammed right into him. The force sent Niccolo flying, the Faunus hitting the wall of the school hard enough to leave a dent and break what Aura he had left. There, he laid in a crumpled mess, with Zanthus frozen at the sight. 

Relief washed over him when he saw Niccolo lift his head.

That relief vanished when he felt someone pick him up from behind. In a second, he was staring up at the skies, before everything turned blurry and his body slammed straight into the ground.

All the air in his lungs disappeared, leaving Zanthus lying there breathless while Mauve stood right over him. Unimpressed was the only way to describe her when she lectured. “Never turn your back on an opponent.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” He wheezed back. 

As he slowly sat up, he looked around to see that Mauve had piledrived him into the ground so hard that she fractured the earth itself, feeling the loosened stones underneath him as he let out a groan of pain. 

He wasn’t the only one feeling the tiredness. Adam himself was nearly bent over, panting heavily as Eirian hopped down to his side. With the fight still ongoing, she decided to take Chase herself, turning away from her leader as her rifle flipped back into her sword. 

Mauve tried to intercept, rushing forward before Zanthus, taking his chance, wrapped his legs around her ankles and tripped her up. 

Her fall made a heavy  _ thud.  _ Golden eyes glaring at him, Zanthus pounced, sitting on top of Mauve with a hand pinning her whole arm behind her back. He didn’t need to keep her trapped forever, just long enough for the others to take out their targets. 

Out of all of them, Ruri was faring the best. Her and Roxanne were tied in almost everything. Zipping around the training area, Ruri used her chains to pull herself up and over obstacles, using the different positions to attack her opponent from all directions. Yet, he had to give it to Roxanne. Her reflexes were up to the challenge.

Fists clenched, she jabbed at Ruri, waiting for the girl to raise her arms to defend before swinging her left leg around to catch her in the side.

Limping to the side, Ruri looked like she definitely felt that. A wince, a shake of the leg when she blocked another kick, and she went straight back into the fight. Her blades sliced through the air as she tried to catch her opponent off guard.

Roxanne’s boots glowed a rainbow of colours. Each set switched out at a dime, Roxanne using the wide range of Dust to her advantage.

As they glowed a crimson red, her kicks left a trail of fire. The flames fed off the rich air, scorching the ground as she danced around Ruri, and burnt when they made contact with Ruri’s bodies. Even when she deflected with her blades, the heat made them glow a bright yellow and cause sparks to fly straight into the blue haired girl’s face.

Stunned, she instinctively leaned backwards to get away from them. Roxanne snatched the opportunity.

Kicking down to force Ruri’s arms to lower, she spun around and delivered a powerful kick right into the centre of Ruri’s chest. The blow itself sent her flying backwards. 

Still, a powerful shockwave emitted from Ruri’s body just as she was thrown. It was sudden. Sudden enough that it caught Roxanne off guard and pushed her far enough that Ruri could have some space to recover. Both were quick enough to use the momentum to land back on their feet.

Yet, Roxanne didn’t back down quickly.

The decals on her boots shifted colours, adopting a pure white look as wind shot right out of her feet. Powered by the Dust, she ran circles around Ruri, using the speed to hit her and dash away before Ruri could react. 

Frustration was clear on her face. Eyes narrowed, she crossed her arms in front of her face, clenching her fists as the air around her started to vibrate. Pebbles bouncing across the ground, Zanthus could feel it as he knelt there.

Suddenly, a powerful shockwave was released. Everyone felt it. The force alone knocked Zanthus right off Mauve, though she was pinned down by the power as well without a chance of using the temporary freedom. Most of all, Roxanne was closest to the source of the shock, and she felt the most drastic effects.

The force alone sent her flying into the air. Ruri was quick to move, launching herself into the air too with swords in hand. A blade thrown, the chains connected her to it stretched out, managing to wrap around Roxanne as Ruri pulled her closer.

When the two met midair, Ruri quickly struck. Thighs wrapped tightly around the Vacuan’s neck. With the momentum of them falling back down, Ruri spun around a few times to build up speed, quickly slamming Roxanne straight into the ground with enough force that the stone and clay shattered on impact.

Everyone else fell silent. 

As the dust cleared, Ruri was standing, and Roxanne was kneeling down in front of her. Both panting heavily, Zanthus felt pride at seeing that Ruri had triumph.

Suddenly, blue light shone over her body. Shattering like glass.

Ruri collapsed to her knees. Sweat dripping down her face, everyone watched in shock only for Zanthus to notice something. As the dust settled completely, and Roxanne was fully visible, he could see her holding onto Ruri’s leg.

Blue light seeped out of the girl, travelling along Roxanne’s arm as the light shifted from blue to red, feeding into Roxanne’s own Aura before she let go.

Slowly, she stumbled to her feet and panted. “Good work. I woulda been out for the count if I didn’t manage to grab ya in time.”

Ruri seemed to accept her loss maturely enough. She was obviously bummed, something that didn’t surprise her friends at all, but unlike many sore losers, she at least accepted the loss with sportsmanship, even accepting Roxanne’s hand.

Helped back to her feet, the fight seemed to end there as Chase ran up to his sister.

“Roxxie, you alright?” He asked quickly, hands grabbing Roxanne’s shoulders as he checked her over. “That was some fight. You were supposed to leave me easy openings, ya know?”

“You’re a good shot, but you’re not that good.” She joked back.

When he pouted in response, she added in a more sincere tone. “You know you can’t overuse your Semblance. Mama already told you not to use it when we’re just training.”

That caught Zanthus’ attention. His Semblance? What was so dangerous about it?

Whatever it was, any curiosity vanished when he noticed Ruri clutching her head in pain. 

Immediately, Zanthus moved to her side. “What’s wrong?”

Slowly, she showed him the side of her head, and there, he could see it. 

The part of her hearing aid that jutted out from her skin was damaged. It wasn’t serious, at least as far as he could tell, but the overzealous way she took the training likely didn’t help matters. 

“ _ Everything sounds muffled. _ ” She explained gingerly.

“Doctor Polendina told you to take it easy when you can.” Eirian piped up from behind them.

When the two turned towards her, they saw her letting Adam lean against her, bearing his weight while he recovered his strength. 

Ruri glanced away nervously while Eirian carried on. “Your aid’s fragile. If you keep running around carelessly, we’re gonna have to go back to Atlas a lot sooner.”

“ _ I may have been a bit… overzealous. _ ”

“That’s certainly a word for it.” Adam shot back with a raised eyebrow. “How long have you been practicing that move?”

Ruri was silent for a moment. “ _ I may had taken inspiration from Zanthus and Eirian for that move. _ ”

“Awww.” Eirian and Zanthus said in unison.

From behind them, Roxanne complimented the team. “That was certainly a fight. It’s been a while since we got worked to the bone like that.”

The team turned around. Thankfully, as Roxanne approached with a slight limp in her step, the rest of her team had regathered, including the previously downed Niccolo. 

A hand on her hip, she focused on Ruri specifically when she added. “Not a lotta people can keep up with me without a speed Semblance. You’re a real contender for the tournament this year.”

Ruri blushed happily at that. 

From beside her, Eirian was quick to point out. “You guys were awesome, too! Chase, Chase, can you help me with my shooting? I wanna be able to bend the bullet and shoot off coins flipped in the air!”

“I can even give you my lucky coin, sunshine.” He offered with a wink.

She could barely hold her excitement there. Hopping in place, it took Adam holding her down by leaning on her more as he brought the conversation back to the situation at hand. “We should really be getting Ruri to the nurse. Mind showing us the way?”

“I can.” Chase offered, turning to the rest of his team. “You guys can go on without me. I got something I gotta do after.”

“Remember, you’re not allowed to leave the Academy at night anymore.” Roxanne warned, walking past the group with Mauve and Niccolo following after her.

“It’s not outside the Academy.” He promised, waiting until she was out of earshot before muttering to himself. “They’re inside the Academy.”

With that said, he gestured for the team to follow after him. As they did, Adam finally took to walking by himself, finding enough strength to stand up straight without collapsing into a mess of limbs. 

By Zanthus’ side, he muttered with a determined expression. “Well, we certainly have some competition this year.”

“Yeah,” Zanthus agreed before chuckling. “But so do they.”


	30. Threats Beyond The Horizon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Academies have always been a beacon of hope. Of unity. For eighty years they stood there, a monument to a time when kingdom fought kingdom, when countless lives were lost. Yet, unbeknownst to all those that wandered through their halls, the Headmasters of these four Academies shared a terrible secret. Evil is lurking in lands unknown to many, and with Ozpin finding his strength fading, the threats looming over all of them would soon come to light.

“This is serious, Ozpin.”

Ozpin stood there by the window. With the morning sun shining just over the horizon, he could see the people of Isidis City starting their day. Like gears of a machine, they worked together, bringing the city they lived in back to live. One by one, the lanterns that lit the homes were snuffed out. Tiny embers that vanished with the light of day lighting the streets up. 

In the distance, he could hear a crow cawing faintly. 

His reflection stared back at him, showing the aged man he had lived as for so many years. His natural white hair hid just how old he was, his golden eyes still sharp, but he could feel it deep inside. 

Fading strength. Every part of his body felt like it grew heavier as time marched on, and he wasn’t the only one who noticed it.

Behind him, the other headmasters of the Academies stood. Eliana had taken her rightful place behind her desk, lounging in her throne-like chair while Ironwood marched up and down in front of her. 

Just a few feet from the Shade Headmistress, the final Headmistress stood nervously. A pale skinned woman with jet black hair pulled into a huge bun that sat at the top of her head, pinned by a gold headband that was adorned with jade jewels. Unlike the professional Ironwood and the desert born Eliana, she was dressed in a simple pale yellow hanfu, her arms peeking out of the translucent sleeves that draped down.

Fiddling with the green sash wrapped tightly around her waist, she was still unsure around the others. Ozpin gave her time, patience, anything he could for the young Headmistress to find her voice amongst peers with over a decade of experience more than her.

“Her forces are moving further out of Evernight. The precautions we’ve put in place are keeping her there, but you know it yourself, they won’t hold forever.” He paused with a grim expression on his wrinkled face. “Not only do we have undeniable proof that she’s brought known criminals into her fold, but she’s surrounding herself with women. There’s only one use she could have for them.”

“The Maidens.” Eliana sighed deeply.

Ironwood turned his attention to her directly. “Winter and Summer are still under our protection, but Fall is still a rookie compared to them, and Spring-”

“She’s still in Mistral.” Jin interrupted.

“She’s gone rogue!” Ironwood snapped back. “Spring hasn’t been seen in eight years. She could have defected or been killed or anything and we don’t know! Salem could already have taken the Maiden Powers from her by this point.”

“Or worse, she could’ve been taken by one of the many bandit tribes in Mistral.” Eliana added. 

“There’s no way.” Jin was quick to assert herself. “The duties of a Maiden were just a shock to her. She was just a child, she couldn’t have known what we were asking of her truly when she accepted the powers.”

“Then we should find someone who can shoulder that burden.” 

Eliana showed none of that uncertainty when she stood. Her hand caressing the wood of her desk as she moved around it, she stared straight into Jin’s jade green eyes as she continued. 

“We are stuck in a war that has lasted far longer than any of us have even been alive.” She lectured. “We know the struggles that come with it, so it is on us to choose those that can handle the burdens we are shoving onto them.”

Ironwood swiftly joined in. “Atlas is currently working as we speak on the very things that could turn things to our advantage. If you would just hear me out, Eliana-”

“What you are suggesting goes against the very nature that the Gods have gifted us!” Eliana’s anger was fierce, her eyes burning when she spun around to Ironwood with a wave of her hand. “I won’t hear it! Chavi has already chosen her successor, and I will not waste the years I have put in to raise her just for you to come in and desecrate a person’s soul like that!”

“We might not have time to wait for the Summer Maiden to pass naturally.” Ironwood countered. “You’ve spent years prepping the replacement, why not have her take the powers now?”

“She isn’t ready. As soon as she has finished her education, I will deem her ready.”

“You want to wait another two years? What happens if they get to the Summer Maiden first, or she passes before she’s meant to?”

“We Vacuan women are stronger than you give us credit for.” Eliana scoffed. “After we drove Atlas out of our lands, I thought you all would’ve learned not to underestimate us. I see national arrogance is a difficult thing to shake off.”

“If I remember correctly, Vacuo is still using machinery  _ made  _ by Atlas to this day.” Ironwood shot back with crossed hands behind his back. “Or are you so blind that you’ll accept things that make your lives easier without giving credit where it is due?”

“Why you slimy little-!”

“That’s enough!” Ozpin’s harsh voice silenced them all.

Finally turned away from the window, he stared at each and everyone of them with annoyance clear in his eyes. Each day was taking its toll. Not only on them, but himself, his body starting to give up as he felt himself lean more on his cane. 

With an exhausted sigh, he accepted Eliana’s silent offer of her chair, taking a seat while pointing out. “Seems that we have a visitor.”

All were surprised at that. A few seconds after Ozpin spoke, a knock on the door caught their attention. 

The person didn’t even wait for Eliana to tell them to come in, opening the door while casually strolling in. Any confusion vanished as annoyance settled in, Ironwood above all else showing the most contempt as he sighed deeply. “Qrow.”

“Been a while, Jimmy. You missed me?” 

Qrow Branwen. 

A man of action, and a man of many human desires. He didn’t look any different compared to how he was months ago when he left Ozpin’s side. Same black hair speckled with grey that he slicked back in spikes, same narrow red eyes that watched everyone closely, same lopsided grin while he swayed where he stood.

In his hand was a flask. A silver that matched the silver and grey of his form hugging jacket, he took a swig of it while stumbling closer to the desk. 

“Woulda thought you’d stay in Atlas this year. You know, with the new kid and everything.” He stopped right by the desk, leaning against it while adding. “Gotta give it to you, not everyone can pull off being a dad at forty seven.”

“Clover can handle Riley while I’m here.” 

“Ah, the good luck charm of Atlas.” There was something in Qrow’s voice. It was only small, but noticeable to Ozpin, his eyebrows furrowing at the sound of jealousy lacing Qrow’s slurred words.

He wasn’t the only one. Ironwood’s frown deepened, the anger bubbling inside of him more apparent when he shot back. “He’s been there when I needed him. I’m sure Winter can’t say the same.”

Qrow’s face dropped at that, the once smug man simply shrugging with a grumble. “She knew it wasn’t serious. I can’t be there when Oz needs me all over Remnant.”

“I’m sure the baby will appreciate the honesty when she grows up without a father.” 

“I ain’t here for family disputes.” Qrow snapped as he turned to Ozpin. “Salem. You were right, Oz. She’s been making some big moves from Evernight, and it looks like the people she’s been gathering over the years are now coming out.”

Before Ozpin could say anything, Ironwood interjected. “You have information? Why didn’t you try and relay it to us ahead of time?” 

“‘Cause unfortunately,  _ Jimmy,  _ being on recon and trying to make sure no one knows you work for Ozpin himself makes communication a bit difficult.” Fishing out his scroll, Qrow dropped it on the table while explaining. “I couldn’t find any of them personally, but I know of at least two working for her.”

Ozpin watched the scroll light up. There on the screen, he saw two profiles, listening while Qrow elaborated. “Tyrian Callows and Hazel Rainart. They ain’t the only ones she has running around Remnant, but who or where they are… I dunno.”

“And Salem herself?” Ozpin asked quietly. 

“Still where you left her.” Relief washed over him from Qrow’s confirmation, but things turned more dire when he added. “That might not last forever, Oz. The more time that goes on, the weaker you and the magic keeping Salem trapped get. Did we even get the results back from Atlas?”

All turned to Ironwood.

Standing there stiff, he didn’t say anything at first. The silence grew heavier and heavier, weighing over everyone like a blanket, and even Ozpin was beginning to feel it before Ironwood finally spoke. “I got the results three weeks ago.”

“Three weeks? You know, for a guy preaching about showing trust and keeping everyone in the loop, you sure are doing your best to keep all of us in the dark.” Qrow snapped angrily. 

“Qrow’s right. This is information we needed as soon as possible.” Eliana agreed. “What did they say?”

Ironwood stared right at Ozpin when he revealed. “It’s not good. I trusted Doctor Polendina and his assistants with the sensitive information, and they managed to figure out exactly what is causing this chronic weakness in you.”

Ozpin braced himself for the truth.

“You’re dying, Oz.” Ironwood paused for a moment to let it sink in. “Whatever is happening, the magic that you possess is fighting against your host’s body. Add onto your advanced age, the stress of this war and running Beacon… it’s a situation we can’t avoid.”

“How long does he have?” Jin piped up.

Turning to her, he fished out the scroll from his military jacket, holding it up as a hologram projected from the brightly lit screen. 

For all to see, an outline of a human body was shown, bearing some resemblance to Ozpin as it spun around slowly. Various parts were highlighted, Ironwood explaining quickly while everyone watched the hologram closely. 

“The magic that Oz wields is… complicated. It can be compared to a Semblance almost, but unrefined. More potent. Pietro started to look into the cells from the tissue samples we gathered, and what he found was something he couldn’t even fathom.” 

Suddenly, the hologram zoomed into the body, showing general cells magnified hundreds of times. 

“Professor Slaugh of Beacon actually came up with a theory once, using biological tissues of thousands of Huntsmen to compare how one’s Semblance impacts them biologically.” Ironwood glanced over at Qrow as he added. “Some can’t be explained in a scientific manner, but others seemed to have pushed the person who has the Semblance to evolve in a way to handle the specific requirements of their power. Increased tolerance to heat, faster reflexes to handle speed, he even made the connection between genetics and hereditary Semblances like the Schnee family.”

Arms crossed, Qrow looked away glumly at the mention of the Schnees. 

“So what does this have to do with Ozpin?” Eliana inquired.

“It seems that with every host that Ozpin reincarnates into don’t have the body needed to be able to deal with the stress of his magic.” He pointed out, turning back to the hologram as it showed the cells starting to die off. “Frostbite, burns, even the lichtenberg figures on his arms, all are reactions of his body when introduced to magic. If given a fraction of it like with the Maidens, it seems that we have evolved enough to be able to handle it, but not something of this magnitude.”

“So his very magic is eating him alive?” Jin gasped in horror.

“It’ll be the very thing to kill him if we don’t figure out a way to stop it.” Qrow added.

“There is a way.”

Everyone turned back to Ironwood. Grim, he didn’t move from where he stood, rather switching holograms to show up another human body. 

Except, rather than a human of flesh and bone, the person was robotic, showing an endoskeleton and different mechanisms inside that would keep it alive. Ozpin knew exactly what it was as he sighed. “This is not up for discussion again.”

“ _ This _ is what’s going to save your life, Ozpin.” The general insisted. “Atlas has spent decades perfecting soldiers to bring more men off the battlefield and out of danger. The silverite we had mined out of Menagerie was a difficult metal to work from without the blacksmiths of Vikela, but this specific model has skin harder than steel and a much higher melting point, on top of being a poor conductor of electricity.”

Jin’s voice piped up in awe. “Meaning that Ozpin’s magic can’t harm it like a human body.”

“Exactly. With recent scientific breakthroughs with Atlas’ finest, we have made more machines and technology centred around the very soul.” Ironwood confessed. “We can’t save this body, but we can give Ozpin something better.”

“This is not the way to do this.” Ozpin rejected with a firm tone. “The hosts I share a body with are not suits to just be thrown away. This is how my curse works, and it’ll remain like this until we finally win against Salem.”

“So you’ll drag person after person into the war until she’s finally beaten? What’ll happen when you do pass and find that your next host is less than willing to join the fight?” Ironwood pushed. 

Ozpin had no answer. 

Hands gripping the arms of the chair, his eyes narrowed when Ironwood refused to stop. “You’re putting your faith in the inherent goodness of humanity over a chance to level the playing field to Salem!”

“It is humanity that’ll save us!” Ozpin shouted sternly, suddenly standing from the chair with a finger pointing at Ironwood. “You have a good heart, James, but this is not something that can be fixed with one of your machines. As soon as I pass, my soul and all my memories will go and seek out another being. This idea of an android to host my soul is made on good intentions, but it’s doomed to fail.”

“You can’t ask us to sit around and wait without trying to do something about this.” Ironwood’s voice dropped at that.

The sight of him, so concerned and scared for his friend, melted away much of Ozpin’s anger. There was no long lasting animosity between them. Deep down, Ozpin knew that Ironwood was just trying to help.

So, he too opened up to a more gentle tone. “I’m not. We will keep working to figure out the extent of Salem’s reach, and when I do move on to the next host, I trust you all to give him the same help as you have given me.”

“We will always help you and your descendants, Ozpin.” Eliana piped up softly. “We don’t mean any disrespect to you or your host.”

“I know...” Everything felt light.

The world around him was spinning. Colours all melding together, he could feel the scars littering his body flare up with pain, losing what strength he had left and feeling himself fall backwards into the chair. 

Immediately, his allies circled him, crowding the poor man as Eliana quickly asked him. “Oz? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. Just… tired.” He accepted her help in sitting properly in her chair, looking up at the worried faces that stared back at him. “I just need a moment to catch my breath.”

“I don’t think you have many moments left, Oz.” Qrow tried to joke, though it quickly fell flat when he saw just how exhausted Ozpin was.

It wasn’t just his impending death that was weighing heavily on him. Grimly, Ozpin made it clear to his friends and fellow Headmasters just how dire their situation was. 

“My magic is fading,” he started. “When I die, the magic keeping Salem in place… will finally disappear. The Maidens, all these years, it seems to have finally taken a toll on me. She’ll finally be free.”

The air went still. No one had anything to say at the revelation. 

Slowly, he turned to Ironwood. “Jin asked you a question before, one you never answered. How long do I have left?”

Ironwood’s lips pulled into a tight line. His dark steel eyes looked at everyone around him, each and every one waiting for the same answer as Ozpin was, though deep down they didn’t want to know. It was a horrible thing to learn when someone you cared about would finally die.

“If your body keeps deteriorating at this rate,” he spoke. “We have about two more years.”

“The real question is how long will the barrier keeping Salem cooped up will last when Oz does pop his clogs?” Qrow pushed. 

“That… I don’t have the answer to.” Ozpin confessed. “It could last for months, or even a year. At least enough time for us to prepare for what will surely come out of Evernight when the barrier does fall.”

“Remnant has been building strength for decades. We’ve haven’t had a serious war since the Faunus Revolution, and that was thirty two years ago.” Jin tried to reason.

“A serious war for the whole of Remnant.” Ironwood corrected. “Atlas has been at war with the tribes of Solitas for decades, even before the Great War. If Salem decides to strike now, we might not have the military strength to fight both her and the tribes at once.”

“If Atlas pulled back forces from their lands, they wouldn’t feel the need to defend themselves.” Eliana shot back. 

Before Ironwood could say anything, Qrow out of all people was quick to break the fight. “Now ain’t the time to start grilling each other over poor choices. If we don’t stop Salem, it doesn’t matter who was right and who was wrong, ‘cause we’ll all be dead.”

“Or subjected under her.” Jin added.

“All the more reason we should have the Maidens under tighter restrictions.” Ozpin sat there as Ironwood turned his attention to him. “Fall. Do we have confirmation on where she is?”

Qrow took a swig from his flask and revealed. “Amber’s a free spirit, but I’ve been keeping an eye on her on top of my own family. She wanders around a lot, but I think she can handle herself. More than we give her credit for, anyway.”

“Has she tried to go home?” Ozpin asked.

“A few times.” Qrow mulled for a moment. “She never stays for long. Just enough to make sure her aunt doesn’t worry over her, but her brother is a sharp lad. Oliver, or whatever.”

Ozpin was quick to correct him. “Oscar.”

“Oscar. Never got too close, but they wouldn’t have noticed even if I did. Either way, she’s handling the powers pretty well, if a bit rough around the edges.”

“She should be kept closer to Beacon, trained to harness the full potential of the Maidens’ powers.” Eliana insisted. “She may not be able to gain experience through years like the older Maidens have.”

“The Winter Maiden has grown too old to train any more potential candidates anymore. What of Summer?” Ironwood asked.

Eliana sighed deeply at that, brushing a stray hair from in front of her tanned face. “Chavi is as good as any woman can be at a hundred and thirty years old. The Nitzkhi are a people blessed with a long life, but even we aren’t immune to the effects of age. We won’t find a teacher under her anymore.”

“That leaves Spring.” Qrow mused for a moment. “If she’s still alive, and hasn’t been found by Salem yet, chances are she’s with Raven.”

Jin shook her head in disbelief. “That’s not good. Raven knows of the power a Maiden possesses. If she decides to take the power for herself, we will never be able to retrieve it from her.” 

“If I know my sister like I do, she won’t want to put herself directly under Salem’s radar. It’s easier to train someone else as a tool to discard as soon as things get hairy, than take the power and become a target yourself.” Qrow pointed out. “We haven’t talked in years, but I’ll see if I can find her. With luck, she’ll have picked up Odstesteg before anyone else could.”

“Time is of the essence. It’s best that you leave immediately, especially with the wide area of Mistral that you’ll have to cover.” Eliana suggested.

“I know how to find her, don’t you worry about it.” Eliana frowned when Qrow brushed her worries off. “Besides, I’m exhausted. Lemme take the day off to enjoy your city’s ‘sights’.”

“Fine. But let me warn you right now, if I catch you with one of the priestesses in the Temple of Meresankh aga-”

“I ain’t gonna defile your temples again.” Qrow cut her off, walking past with a smirk on his face again. “Though the name Moon Temple was fitting for how many I saw while there.”

Eliana’s rage was quick and fierce. Thankfully, Qrow was quicker, managing to slip out of the office before she could unleash the full force of her anger at him. Ironwood, while more subdued than her, was no less annoyed, quick to turn to the rest of the Headmasters and nod his head. 

“We’ll discuss this at a later date.”

Ozpin couldn’t reject it, as Ironwood quickly left after Qrow for reasons unknown to them. 

He could entrust the care of his friend to the two Headmistresses he left behind, instead focusing on finding the avian man quickly to carry on their unfinished business. 

When he left the hallway leading up to Eliana’s office, instead approaching the lift, he was stopped by a familiar voice. “I’m here. You don’t have to chase me around the school, Jimmy.”

Stopping in his tracks, he turned to see Qrow standing there, leaning against a column holding up the ceiling with none of the joking amusement left on his face.

It wasn’t long before the cause of his drastic shift in mood was revealed. 

“I get why you’re doing this. For Oz. You ain’t the only one scared of what’ll happen when he does eventually pass, James.” He pointed out solemnly. “The things out there… This is big. Bigger than anything we’ve thought of before, and with Oz on his last legs, we might be waiting a while for his next host to find us.”

“If Ozpin just accepted my plan for him-”

“You can’t fix everything with your machines.”

“Then what can I do?” Ironwood shot back in frustration. “You have your nieces, Qrow, and soon you’ll even have a daughter growing up in this world. You stand there and you tell me that you’re not scared that you can’t protect them from her!”

Qrow didn’t reply at first. As he rubbed the side of his unshaven jaw, he confessed with a short nod of his head “You wanna hear it from the horse’s mouth? Fine. I’m scared, James. Salem has already driven Raven away, she got Summer, and if she ever found out about Ruby? She’ll kill her too… and there’s nothing I can do about it because if I go near them, if I stay for too long…”

He paused for a moment.

“I’ll end up getting my family killed the same way I got Summer killed.”

“Is that why you left Winter? Because of your-”

“Yeah. If you ask me, she’s better off, and so’s the kid.” Qrow brushed past Ironwood as he made his way to the elevator. 

As he pushed the button, watching the gates creak open, he turned to look over his shoulder at the general standing behind him, offering with a shrug of his shoulder. “I need a drink. You wanna come?”

“...Sure.” 

Qrow at least seemed pleased that someone accepted his invitation. Moving over to make some space for Ironwood, the two men stood shoulder to shoulder, neither saying anything as the gates closed again and the elevator descended through the levels of the Academy. 

The silence didn’t last long, however. Soon enough, Qrow piped up in a gentle voice. “The kid… What name did she come up with?”

Eyes glancing over, he could see Qrow not even looking at him, too busy looking down at something in his hand. With some shifting, the Atlesian soldier could see that it was a ring. Just like the few decorating Qrow’s fingers.

Rather than the steel grey, black and red that the other rings, this one wrapped around his pinky with stark white bands, decorated with fancy silver swirls. In the middle, a forest green gem sat in the middle. A simple, if obviously cherished, memento from Qrow’s brief times in Atlas. He was clearly thinking about her as he stared down at it.

“Winijay.” Ironwood answered quietly. “The others in the Ace Ops managed to convince her that Jay would be a good nickname.”

“Winijay. Heh, that’s certainly a name Winter would pick.” Qrow chuckled to himself.

“You can always visit her, you know? Winter’s an intelligent woman. She’ll understand if you just gave her the chance to do so.”

“Everyone that finds out always leaves in the end. At least this way, it’s better for everyone.” 

“Do you honestly think that, after a lifetime of terrible fathers, Winter would want the same for her own child?” Ironwood asked calmly. 

That one question seemed to have stuck with Qrow move than anything from their conversation. As he stood there silently, he thought deeply, his eyes darting around with no words passing his tightly pressed lips. 

Soon enough though, any answer he could’ve gotten from the Huntsman vanished as the elevatorAny answer that he could’ve gotten was left unspoken when the elevator came to a stop at the ground floor. 

The gates slowly opened, both Ironwood and Qrow took a step out, only for the former to feel someone run straight into him at breakneck speeds. Colliding with the left side of his body, it barely moved an inch, the muscular wall only serving as something for the unlucky student to bounce right off.

A feminine voice loudly exclaimed. “Oof!”

Turning around, he saw a teenage girl sitting there on the floor, rubbing her head underneath a white hood gingerly. “Ow, what are you made from? Bricks?”

“You should really be more careful, Miss Esna.” Ironwood scolded, though he also offered a hand nonetheless.

As she accepted it, he effortlessly pulled her up to her feet once more, listening while she whined again. “I was until you guys appeared out of nowhere! I got ringing in my ears now.”

It wasn’t long before more students joined her side. While Ironwood was happy to recognise Ruri and Zanthus, he was less than ecstatic to see Chase walking up to them, especially when the older student took a  _ specific  _ interest in him and Qrow.

“Well, General.” He practically purred. “Ya ain’t hot in those clothes? I’m sure it’d do you some good in lighter clothing.”

“Chase, I’m sure your mother would be pleased in learning of your concern for me and my attire. Let me assure you that I am very happy with  _ all  _ of my clothes.”

The smirk faded on Chase’s face at that. “Ah, yeah. Mama would be so  _ proud _ .”

“Now that we’ve ran into each other,” Ironwood turned his attention to Ruri. “I had been hoping to catch up with you during the Vytal Festival, Miss Kashima. How has your implant been since we last talked?”

“ _ It’s been a whole new experience for me, General Ironwood. I’ve heard so many different things, and it’s made classes and training so much easier since I got it!”  _ Ruri explained enthusiastically. “ _ Though, I still have some troubles with it. Only a couple days ago, I had to visit the nurse because I damaged it during training. _ ”

“It’s something I’ve found with my own prosthetics. They’re not meant to be improved versions of the natural limb we’re replacing, so we have to work around the limitations they have. There’ll always be some problem we face, no matter how small.”

“ _ Regardless, I’m happy with what I have, and I want to thank you for giving me the chance to get this opportunity. _ ”

“It’s no problem. The scientists in Atlas, especially Doctor Polendina, are happy to improve others’ lives with their inventions.” He accepted the grateful comment. “Please, just remember what I’ve said. We don’t want you damaging it too much and having to return to Atlas too soon.”

“ _ Of course. _ ”

“Before you go, do you mind answering some of my questions?” Eirian suddenly barged in. 

Before Ironwood could answer, she was already listing off what was on her mind. “Is it true that you became one of the youngest generals in Atlas history at just thirty eight? Oh, was the creation of the Ace Ops under your lead or your predecessor; General Kuklip? Aren’t you actually from Mantle? Being such a high ranking soldier must be hard when you’re from Mantle, on top of actually coming from the Aχíver Tribe that had settled in Mantle for decades!”

“Yes, under my lead, yes, and yes, it is incredibly hard.” Ironwood listed off with a raised eyebrow. “How did you know so much about me?”

“I found the  _ History of Atlas  _ in the library once. It was one of the more recently published versions, so it was pretty much up to date.”

“That’s… interesting.” He didn’t know whether to be flattered or unnerved with just how much she knew.

While Eirian was practically bouncing all around him, the fourth and final student that was accompanying her paid little attention to Ironwood. 

Rather, he stared straight at Qrow. Slit pupils wide, he was clearly surprised by who he was seeing, only able to mutter out. “I know you.”

“Might be mistaken, kid. A lotta people think they know me.” Qrow brushed off, taking a swig from his flask before pushing Ironwood to follow him. “Come on, I don’t wanna be around when it starts getting busy.”

“Going into town, are ya?” Chase perked up again, sticking to Qrow’s side with a grin. “I can show ya where to get good drinks cheap.”

With a quick look at Ironwood, Qrow ignored the general’s obvious displeasure and accepted the offer. “Sure. Lead the way.”

The cowboy was clearly pleased with the acceptance. That same grin widening, he wasted no time in leaving his friends’ sides and walking off with the half drunk man in tow, only joined by the frustrated Ironwood as he bid his farewells to the more well behaved students beside him. “Until next time.”

And with that, he was gone too.

Eirian sighed sadly, eager to ask the general more questions, but Ruri was quick to comfort her friend. As they turned to go and entertain themselves after losing their guide, both girls noticed that, for all that time, Zanthus hadn’t moved from his spot.

He stood there as still as a statue. Gaze fixated on where Qrow once stood, he was deep in thought, barely registering Eirian’s voice when she called out to him. “You okay, Zanthus?”

As she tapped him on the shoulder, he jolted out of his thoughts.

“Y-Yeah.” He stammered, though was quick to admit what was bothering him. “It’s just… I knew him.”

“Maybe you’re mistaken like he said?” Eirian proposed.

Shaking his head, he confessed. “No. I would know the man that saved my life when I met him again.”

“He… saved your life?” 

“Years ago, when I was just a kid.” Zanthus stared softly, turning to look back where Qrow had walked off. “I don’t blame him for not recognising me. The man must’ve seen dozens of kids like me on his travels, but after Grimm attacked a village me and my family were staying in… he saved me and Argenta from them.”

He could remember that day. 

The screams of panicked civilians running away, some too slow as Grimm descended upon them. White teeth stained red with blood, the fluid dyeing the ground crimson and the copper stench making him retch. He would always remember those soulless yellow eyes peering into him. Remember the gripping fear that kept him frozen in place, even when the Grimm made a beeline straight for him.

And then he saw him. A man, dressed in black and white, cutting through the monsters with a scythe twice his size, all that Zanthus could clearly remember being the scarlet red cape flowing behind him.

Holding onto his own, he elaborated on his story to his friends. “All these years, I only remembered his cape. He’s the reason I wanted to become a Huntsman, and why I went after leaving the fighting rings in Mistral, but… seeing him there, smelling the alcohol, I…”

When he fell silent, Eirian piped up curiously. “You… what?”

“It just reminded me of my dad. Thinking about the man who saved me, and the one I just saw… Is he the same man? The one I always pictured when someone asked what a Huntsman meant to me?”

“A lot of Huntsmen have their own cross to bear. Maybe your memories of that man didn’t match up to who he is now because you remember him through an idolised light?” Eirian suggested. “Now that you’re here, maybe you should try and make your own version of what a Huntsman should be, rather than holding on to heroes who might not actually be real?”

“What about you? Who inspired you to be a Huntress?”

Eirian fell silent. 

Her face was dark, crimson eyes averted as they instead stared at the ground. For a moment, Zanthus felt horrible for asking, ready to give up the conversation before she finally answered.

“My mom.”

His heart sank at that. Softly, he pointed out. “You never really talk about her.”

“I don’t like thinking about her, but… She was a Huntress that I always wanted to be, even when I was a little kid. She was strong, brave, smart… and she was never there.” Eirian frowned. “She always took her job seriously. Every mission she took would take her away from home for weeks, sometimes even months. My dad didn’t mind, he enjoyed being a dad, but deep down… I think she just wanted to stay away from Menagerie as much as she could.”

“It must’ve been hard on her, living around people who hated her without really getting to know her.”

“It was hard on all of us. I don’t blame her now, but when I was little, I just wanted my mom to be there. I guess I’m saying this just to tell you that, above all else, Huntsmen are just people like you and me. They make mistakes, they have flaws. We can’t try and put them on a pedestal anymore.”

There was some truth in her words. 

While it hurt Zanthus to admit it, he had to, nodding solemnly. “Yeah, you’re right. I guess it’s just a big shock, you know?”

“It must be.”

“Either way, let’s not dwell on it too much, yeah?” He quickly moved on, finding himself wanting to ignore the situation at that moment. 

Thankfully, Eirian’s mood picked up, the girl practically hanging off his arm while insisting. “Let’s go find Roxanne! She promised to show us the underground hot baths today, apparently the rich salts are great for your skin!”

“Alright, Alright.” Zanthus laughed. “Let’s go.”

As she sped off with a disturbed Ruri in tow, Zanthus found himself faltering for just a moment. Unable to stop himself, he looked back over his shoulder, half expecting to see Qrow again. Yet, he didn’t.

Trying to hide the growing disappointment in his gut, he sighed deeply, rubbing his upper arm gingerly while following after his friends. Little did he, or anyone, know of the dangers lurking over the horizon, nor the fear it was striking in the hearts of those meant to protect them. 

Only time would tell if they would be strong enough to fight in a war they had no idea existed.


	31. Unshakable Sorrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grief is a fickle thing. One day you're doing better, the next its got you tight in its grip, and the same goes for Adam. Even after Blake's death a year ago, he can't shake the feelings of guilt and sorrow away. There, he sees that many siblings have their own issues, and with one refusing to look his responsibilities in the eyes, he has to say something to fix what he couldn't with his own.

Another day passed. Another dream haunted him. 

Each morning since that night at Sasnak Docks, Adam had been plagued with dreams, or more accurately nightmares, of his past with Blake, with his parents both adopted and biological. No matter what he did, they came by with a vengeance.

Nothing worked. Zanthus bunking with him, calming teas that Eirian suggested, even exhausting himself training for the upcoming Tournament. In the end, he was filled with that same gut wrenching emotion when he woke up and saw that nothing from his past remained. Like sand falling through his fingers, they slipped away, no matter how hard he clutched them. 

Sometimes, he would rifle through Blake’s letters at night when everyone was asleep. It didn’t help the agony of his loss, but reading them, knowing that they were some of the last things he had, it eased some of the burden.

Even if it was just a little. 

It was better than looking at her weapon. Shattered like glass, he left the fragments in the dorm back at Beacon, having not even attempted to repair Gambol Shroud since the day he was given it. 

It was easier to ignore, hide it away and focus on the future, desperately trying to turn a blind eye to the nightmares that chased after him. The regret, the grief, it all sat below the surface, never showing when he was around friends or fellow students. 

One morning, he found himself more exhausted than usual. As he sat there at the table, messing around with his food while his friends were too busy stuffing their faces, he heard Eirian pipe up with a papaya in hand. “I want a smoke machine.”

“You’ve been on my case for one all morning. You’re not getting a smoke machine.” Roxanne sighed deeply, rubbing her temples in frustration. “If I knew you’d be so over the top with the planning, I would’ve asked someone else.”

“It’s the Vytal Dance! I want it to be memorable, something to tell my grandkids when I’m seventy and living in a dainty countryside cottage.” She took a moment to reminisce wistfully. 

“You’re just as bad as Chase. I want everyone to have fun, just in a controlled and safe manner.”

Roxanne’s counter made Eirian whine loudly. “Boring! What’s wrong with a little chaotic energy to a party?”

Before Roxanne could argue back, a tapping on the table caught their attention, both girls turning to see Ruri trying to grab their attention.

With both eyes on her, she signed cheerfully. “ _ I think it might be nice to have the dance under the stars rather than cooped up in the dance hall. It’s so much more romantic. _ ”

“Oh, that would be so beautiful to see.” Roxanne agreed with a pleased smile. “We don’t really have rain here to ruin the day. It should actually fall on a full moon.”

Eirian jumped up and down in her seat. “A dance under the moonlight? That’ll be so cute!”

“ _I’ve already got my dress ready for it._ _It might only be in a few days, but there’s no harm in being prepared.”_

“Same. I’m gonna turn all the heads at the dance.” Eirian bragged. “What about you, Adam?”

Unfocused eyes suddenly cleared up when he heard her voice. Blinking, he turned to her with a quiet. “Huh?”

“The dance? You got everything ready for it?”

“Uh, yeah, yeah… Everything’s done.” He had to admit, focusing on the dance was growing more and more difficult with each passing day. 

Surprisingly, he found Zanthus just as distracted when the team turned their attention to him, Eirian’s chipper voice calling out to him. “Zanthus?”

He didn’t reply.

“Zanthus?”

Adam quickly nudged him under the table, watching those eyes suddenly focus when he looked over at his friend. Confused silence quickly vanished as he replied to Eirian’s questions. “Sorry, I was drifting out a little bit there.”

“You’ve been pretty quiet all morning.” She pointed out with concern. “Everything alright?”

Adam watched as Zanthus forced a smile. Pained, it looked completely unnatural, especially with his ears folded back and his eyebrows pulled up slightly. Even his voice strained when he brushed Eirian’s worry off. “Yeah, don’t worry about it. What were we talking about?”

“The dance. You have everything ready, yes?” Roxanne asked politely.

“I have some lotion for your hair if you’re thinking more sophisticated and less… wild.” Eirian brushed a stray piece of hair from in front of his face. “And you can bring a date! There’s loads of pretty boys around here for you to pick!”

His face flushed at that. Before he could answer, however, Roxanne was already interrupting with a stern warning. “Not Chase.”

“I think your brother’s already picked someone.” Roxanne raised an eyebrow at that. “You didn’t know?”

“No, and I’ll make sure to find out next time I see him.”

“Where is the rest of your team, anyway?” Eirian asked as she looked around the hall.

“Chase has been sent to the Temple of Khufu to repair what he and Sun damaged, Mauve isn’t feeling well and Niccolo’s having a bad day, so we let him stay with Mauve in our room.” She seemed saddened at the mention of the last member. 

“A bad day? Did something happen?” Zanthus inquired, clearly concerned for the teen. 

Roxanne rubbed her temple with a sigh. “He just has days where he’s not really in the mood to do anything. You guys know about his alters already?”

They nodded. “Well, he has one. Rossa. She’s not horrible, but she’s pretty abrasive and doesn’t like doing things that don’t interest her. Honestly, whenever she’s out, we just let her do whatever and come back when she’s calmer.”

“She?” Adam’s voice caught their attention.

“Alters can be any gender or age.” She elaborated. “The ones we’ve met are Rossa, Flavio, Azzurra, Porfirio, and of course, Niccolo. Most are actually pretty nice, and even Rossa is just a bit rude from time to time.”

“Will he want to come to the dance? I dunno what it’d be like, but if it’s too much, he can hang out with us?” Eirian offered. 

That brought a tender smile to Roxanne’s face. 

“He’s already said he’ll come. Niccolo is a bit shy, but he actually loves dancing. Always having fun with Aurora.” She laughed at that.

“Who’s with Aurora?” A new voice piped up.

All the students at the table turned towards the voice. It wasn’t anyone from Roxanne’s missing team, but Adam still recognised him immediately. With wild blond hair and dusky tanned skin, Sun had that same grin plastered on his face, but the little girl he was carrying was someone Adam had never met before. 

It wasn’t difficult to guess that it was Aurora. She looked so similar to Roxanne, sharing the same black hair and shining silver eyes, but while her sister and brother wore plenty of red and brown, she was dressed in bright yellow and warm tones of white. A long, ruffled dress that covered her hoistered legs, small black pumps peeking out, with a white shirt pinned down by a brown and yellow sash. 

Brushing a piece of hair that wasn’t pulled back into her tight bun sitting at the top of her head, she was mostly interested in the new people than her sister. With a little wave, she smiled. “Hi.”

“Sun, what’re you doing here? You should be with Chase.” Roxanne scolded, getting up from her chair in a huff. 

“There wasn’t that much to do, so I left Chase to do it while I came to take Aurora to school.” Sun explained, smiling down at Aurora while she cheerfully added.

“We’re gonna be visiting the Tar Pits today for a trip!”

“Chase was supposed to be the one to take her…” Roxanne muttered, shaking her head while frowning deeply. “This is the fourth time he’s put it onto someone else. What exactly did he say when you two were at the temple?”

“Dunno, really. I was cleaning debris out of Khufu’s ears when I noticed him talking to one of the priestesses there. Couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he told me to head out and he’ll catch up later.” 

“Did he forget that we have lessons soon?” Roxanne shot back. 

“Hey, hey, don’t shoot the messenger!” Sun was quick to detense her. “You really think we can keep Chase in a classroom? Besides, it ain’t the first time he cut class.”

“That’s not the point, Sun. He has to take this seriously, on top of the commitments he made to Aurora.” She gestured to the younger girl in Sun’s arms. “It’s not fair getting her hopes up and then letting her down like that.”

“Ah, she’s doing alright, ain’t you?” 

Aurora looked up at them with a neutral expression, nodding softly. “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” Roxanne pressed.

“Well, he never takes me anywhere. I like Sun doing it anyway.”

Adam felt a pange of sympathy hit him at that. He wasn’t the only one, the others around him looking at each other with their feelings clear on their face, though no one said a word otherwise. It was heartbreaking. What was worse, she didn’t even sound  _ upset  _ at that, as if it was just the way of life for her at that point. 

“He takes me to the fruit stand near the school every day before school. I like the Kom Ombo dates there.” She confessed cheerfully, turning to Adam and the others with a smile. “Do you guys want anything? Abraham the store keeper lets me pick as many as I want.”

Eirian perked up at that. “Does he sell papaya?” 

“Huge ones!” The girl spread her hands out in an exaggerated manner.

“We don’t have time to go right now.” Zanthus was quick to reject, earning disappointed whines from Eirian before he added in a softer tone. “But we wouldn’t mind going  _ after  _ school.”

“He’s right. You two should get going before you wind up late.” Roxanne pointed out.

Approaching Aurora, she kissed her sister tenderly on her head, muttering to the child with a gentle voice. “ _ Cuídate y diviértete, Aurora. _ ”

“ _ Okey. _ ” She turned to wave at the others. “See you guys later. I’ll bring back something from my trip.”

Roxanne laughed softly at that, amused by the ecstatic expression on Eirian’s face, before she turned her attention back to Sun. “And you. I want you to at least try to get to Oscuro on time.”

“Come on, at least give me some credit. I’ve already done five years of this stuff.” 

“And you only have six more months to go. Please,” she cupped his face and squeezed. “Do. Your. Best.”

“You’re hurting my face.” He muttered back through pursed lips. 

With a raised eyebrow, she thankfully released his face, letting him gingerly take his leave with Aurora in his grip. As he left the hall, Adam watched her peek over his shoulder, watching Roxanne and her new friends with those round eyes, before vanishing from sight. 

As soon as she was gone, any happiness that Roxanne wore on the outside disappeared. Underneath, she was exhausted, sighing to herself before sitting down again, rubbing her hands up and down her face with annoyed groans. “I can’t believe this.”

“I take it this isn’t the first time Chase has done something he shouldn’t.” Adam asked.

“Chase loves his little sister, we both do, but he loves his personal freedom more. Aurora’s eleven now, she’s practically been raised by us… but she doesn’t even care when Chase isn’t around anymore.” She leaned against one hand with a mutter. “I don’t even know where I went wrong. I tried so  _ hard,  _ but… I dunno.”

“This shouldn’t be solely your responsibility. Where’s your parents in all this?” Zanthus argued. 

“Dead. Have been for seven years now. Chase and I were brought to Shade by Mama, just a couple of twelve year olds. She took us in and practically raised us like her kids, but… Aurora was so young. She doesn’t even remember what her mom and dad even looked like.”

None of them said anything as Roxanne confessed further. “I’ve been trying to be a mom, but I dunno if I’m cut out for it. Times like this… I really need Chase to grow up and be there for his family.”

“ _ Have you tried telling him this? _ ” Ruri suggested. 

“Countless times. He was actually more responsible as a kid than he is now, but he won’t listen.”

Adam’s scowl deepened at that. Sitting there in his chair, he didn’t say anything, rather drifting into his own thoughts, but that didn’t last for long. 

Suddenly, Roxanne dropped the topic, getting up from her chair with a more cheerful smile on her face. “Sorry for whining to you guys. We should be getting to class, anyway. Heard it’s a good one today.”

As the others in the group got up to their feet, Adam listened as Eirian whispered in his ear. “I hope it’s nothing like Law.”

A deep chuckle was his only response to that. Even though he didn’t actually reply to her hopeful plea, he found himself somewhat agreeing. Just because he was  _ good  _ at the subject didn’t mean he  _ enjoyed  _ it.

Thankfully, by the time they had left the dining hall and gotten to their first lesson, it was anything but what they were expecting. 

Lessons at Beacon were varied, but followed a typical pattern. The teacher made the rules, and the students listened, but Shade was anything but. As the students piled in, none even bothered with uniforms, and followed their own rhythm without any input from the teacher at the front of the class. Not like they were paying much attention anyway. 

As Adam took his seat next to Zanthus, he noticed a familiar person standing next to the unknown teacher. It wasn’t hard to miss the wide hat on her head, or the intricate tattoos that spanned her arms and across her chest that seemed to flare with each breath. 

“Settle down, guys!” Professor Tabi demanded, finally turning her attention to the class with that same grin on her face. “Today, we’re in luck! You know why?”

Silence. 

“Not again…” She grumbled to herself. “Instead of being stuck in a classroom and having us regurgitating stuff back out you, Professor Gale and I decided that was boring and will be taking you out to learn a lil’ history about Shade.”

“Professor Gale, I thought we’d be having Professor Manetho, since he, you know, actually teaches history?” Roxanne pointed out.

“Professor Manetho has taken sick leave due to his Dust Lung worsening. As of today, I’ll be covering some of his lessons, along with the teachers that have come to Shade for the Vytal Festival.” Theo explained calmly, moving on to other matters. “As we’ll be going around the city today so everyone can see it for themselves, you all will listen to what I say. No lollygaggin’, no horsin’ around, and  _ no  _ running off.”

The class agreed to the rules at once. 

From beside him, Adam listened as Eirian whispered. “I thought we weren't going horse riding today.”

“He means no messing around.” He whispered back.

“Oooooohhhhh.”

“With that outta the way, let’s get going!” Tabi energised the room, already leading some of the students out of the room before Adam and his team could even move. 

As they got up from their seats, he turned to see Roxanne walking down to the front of the class, approaching Theo as he said something. Voices low, he struggled to hear what they were saying. From the looks on their faces, it wasn’t anything pleasant. 

Any curiosity was lost when Zanthus guided his leader with the rest of them out of the room. Adam followed, of course, but he couldn’t help but wonder what was wrong when he glanced over his shoulder, watching Roxanne closely as she conversed quietly with the professor. Could it be about the missing student? Was Chase’s shenanigans affecting Roxanne far more than she cared to let on?

Any questions he had were left unanswered, as his team pulled him away to follow after Professor Tabi and the rest of the class. 

It was as hot as every other day when they wandered outside the Academy. With the sun peeking over the horizon, it was nowhere as horrible as it would’ve been at midday, but that didn’t mean Adam still wasn’t  _ boiling.  _

Eirian walked up to his side and whistled. “Bit of a cold day today.”

“Cold?! It’s roasting!” Adam shot back in disbelief.

“Nu-uh, it gets way hotter than this.” She pointed up at the skies. “I think it’s actually gonna rain soon. I can feel it in my knees.”

“Eirian, for the last time, you can’t tell the weather with your bones.” Zanthus sighed in the background.

“Yes, I can. I was the one who proved it would rain on Adam’s birthday, wasn’t I?”

A brief moment of silence took over Zanthus before he quickly countered. “When we had the weather report on the TV.” 

“ _ Actually, I think I see some clouds. _ ” Ruri suddenly joined in. 

Sure enough, when they all looked up at the skies, they noticed some darker clouds drifting across the clear blue skies. However, they couldn’t watch them for long when Tabi suddenly interrupted them. “If we can move on from the topic of the weather.”

Bashfully, the group turned their attention to the professor in front of them. 

“Right, where in the Gods did- Oh, there you are.” She looked behind the group, smiling when Theo and Roxanne rejoined them once more. 

As Theo stopped by the other professor’s side, he was joined by a dog. A big, shaggy looking thing, with mahogany brown fur and the cutest pointy ears, wearing a bandana around its neck that matched colour and pattern to Theo’s shawl. Yet what grabbed everyone’s attention was its jaw. Metal, glimmering in the sunlight, its teeth were made of hard alloy rather than enamel, the silverish grey sticking out amongst its dark fur. 

As if he noticed everyone’s staring, Theo was quick to introduce the interesting creature next to him. “This here’s Toto. He’ll be coming on this lil’ trip with us, but don’t pay him no mind. He just likes the walk.”

Eirian was practically vibrating next to Adam. “I want to pet him  _ so bad. _ ”

“Leave the dog alone.” Adam scolded, holding onto his teammate to make sure she didn’t ignore his warning. 

Seemingly unaware of the dilemma, Theo carried on with the lesson. “Now, I ain’t gonna spend too long on things, so I expect everyone to pay attention. You’re guests here at Shade, and I want everyone to pay our history the respect it deserves. No matter how you don’t particularly care.”

A hand suddenly shot up. “Yes, Miss…?”

“Esna. Eirian Esna.” Eirian answered. “Um, I was wondering, can we join in if we know anything about what we’re learning today?”

“I don’t expect anyone not from here to know much, but if you do, just raise your hand. I don’t appreciate people interrupting me.”

“Right. Of course.” She shrunk down under his intense stare.

“Alright. Let’s get started, then.” Theo started, gesturing up to Shade itself. “Even though Isidis as we know it has only existed for sixteen years, Shade Academy has stood on this very spot since the end of the Great War, seventy nine years ago. Run by Headmistress Eliana’s predecessor; Mombi Ofer, it was only surrounded by a few nomadic tribes at the start of its creation.”

Adam could see Eirian practically exploding before she raised her hand.

“Miss?”

“I read that Mombi wasn’t running Shade in accordance with how the headmasters were running the other Academies? How true is that?”

“The history books tend to skewer the true a bit. The writer is either hiding the fact that their side lost, or twisting it to show their side as the good guys. The truth is a bit complicated.” Theo confessed. “Mombi wasn’t keeping to the oaths that the Huntsmen Academies stood by, but he wasn’t trying to solicit power. Shade had no ruler after the last Vacuan Empire collapsed and the Reuben Family were wiped out, and many tribes saw themselves as the law of their territories.”

“So, no one wanted to listen to the Headmaster of an Academy?” Zanthus piped up.

“Exactly. Shade was a very different place just a few decades ago. After Headmistress Eliana came to Shade in hopes of reforming it, Mombi gladly handed over leadership and even worked as one of her most trusted advisors until his death seven years ago.”

“Now that she’s taken over, many tribes that tried to fight for leadership had been brought under her rule, and together they formed Isidis city as it is today!” Tabi added with a grin. “I always love a happy ending.”

Theo gave her a quizzical look. “Right… Let’s move on.”

Slowly, the class descended down the mountain. All the way down, they listened as Theo carried on his lesson, pointing out monuments and buildings of interest as they passed by. 

When Eirian raised her hand again, he sighed. “Miss, this is the seventh time you’ve raised your hand.”

“I know, I know, but I have the answer!”

“I didn’t ask a question.” He paused for a moment before rubbing his grizzled chin. “Tell you what, why don’t you come up and help me?”

“Really?!” Eirian’s eyes lit up when he nodded, practically rushing to his side with that same grin on her face.

With her by his side, the two guided the class around Isidis City, allowing the students to stop for a moment and take in the sights before they moved on to other destinations. With Eirian doing most of the work, Professor Tabi fell more into the background, only giving occasional comments and jokes. 

Finally, they stopped in front of one of the many temples scattered around the city. 

As Adam paused to look at the magnificent sight, Eirian interrupted Theo’s teachings with an enthusiastic tone. “This here’s the Temple of Meresankh, or more appropriately known as the Temple of the Moon. It was built to be a sister temple to the Temple of Khufu, the Temple of the Sun.”

“While the Temple of Khufu are run strictly by women, the Temple of Meresankh is run by a more diverse following.” Theo added. “The main Priest here works side by side with the High Priestess of Khufu, though he is more interested in tending to his flock than giving his advice to Eliana.”

“The temples are built to mirror each other like the relationship between the sun and the moon! Destruction and war for Khufu, salvation and peace for Meresankh. Neither can live without the other in Isidis’ faith.” 

Suddenly, an elbow nudged in Adam’s ribs. A sore blow, he rubbed it tenderly as he glared at Zanthus beside him, though the latter paid little attention as he pointed towards the entrance of the temple. “Looks like we weren't the only ones interested in it today.”

Following his gaze, Adam saw none other than Chase at the entrance. He wasn’t alone. While he was leaning against the pillar, a girl beside him chatted away, looking actually pleased with his presence compared to others. 

She was certainly attention grabbing. With skin a dark umber and dense, blue gradient hair that rested on her shoulders, she was dressed quite differently to the more plain citizens around her. Much of her curly hair was held down by a heavy looking headdress, the blue and black vertical stripes leading down to gold tips holding the two pieces framing her face. Through hole cut out at the top, triangular wolf ears poked out for everyone to see.

While her white skirt was pinned by a thick black and blue belt adorned with a gold buckle, a deep sapphire blue gem sitting in the middle, she was completely shirtless. Running right down her chest and stomach was golden paint. A bright colour that stuck out against her dark skin, it matched the gold paint on her upper lip and around her eyes, the paint running down her bottom lip and curved around her chin like an upside down y, a dot in the middle.

Coyly, she played with an ankh shaped amulet resting against her collarbones, latched onto a tight blue and black collar wrapped around her neck. While one hand grabbed it, he noticed that her left arm was completely missing, the stub completely covered by a wrapping that matched the colours of her headdress. 

They couldn’t stare for long, as Roxanne noticed him too, and she was less quiet about it than the others.

Storming over, she practically dragged Chase away from the girl and back towards the group, the twins muttering to each other angrily. As they rejoined, Chase stood there with a deep frown, rubbing the part of his ear that Roxanne had pinched when she grabbed him. 

Adam felt no sympathy for it. He could practically  _ feel  _ the anger and tiredness dripping off Roxanne, and honestly? He could see why. Even after seeing Aurora for five minutes, he felt horrible that the little girl was being let down so much, even more so when she showed no disappointment or sorrow over it. 

Scowling, he let Roxanne handle it, but as they travelled around the city for longer and longer, he found his anger refusing to subside. Tiredness and grief made him easier to provoke. A heaviness that sat on him and refused to move. 

Finally, he decided to say something when they reached the oasis that Isidis city surrounded. Udjat Oasis. 

While Roxanne left to actually try and pay attention to the lesson at hand, Adam approached Chase, still scowling when the cowboy noted. “You don’t look particularly thrilled today.”

“I’m not.”

“Well, get in line, ‘cause I just got an hour of Roxxie chewing my ear off.” He rubbed the side of his head gingerly. 

“After what you did, getting told off is the least I would’ve done.” Adam interrupted Chase when he moved to say something. “You got responsibilities, and instead you’re piling them all on Roxanne and Sun. That’s not fair on them, and it’s not fair on Aurora.”

“You’ve only been here for a week, and you’re already acting like you know us.” Chase shot back in annoyance.

“You’re right, I haven’t known you guys for long, but I know exactly what it’s like to have a sister depending on you when you’re just a kid yourself. Do you even care that Aurora didn’t mind you not being there today? While you’re running around chasing anyone willing to give you the time of day, Sun had to drop her off at school, and Roxanne told us that this wasn’t even the first time.”

“I’ve been looking after my lil’ sister for seven years. I did everything right by her, but I want a life now for myself. What’s so wrong with doing what  _ I  _ want for once?”

“Because it doesn’t affect  _ just  _ you.” Adam countered. “What about Roxanne? Don’t you think she wants to have a chance to actually be a teenager and have fun for once? She’s the one who understands that what she wants has to come second to what’s right for the child in her care.”

Chase didn’t say anything. 

Slowly, he glanced over at Roxanne, watching her laughing while Zanthus said something, though what he actually said was lost to them. At that moment, she seemed so carefree. Unburdened. 

“Being an older brother is hard, I get that, but running away from things when they’re hard isn’t going to fix anything. Have fun, do what you like, but don’t ignore the people who rely on you either.” Adam found himself letting go of that anger. No longer a biting tone, he was calmer, more like a guiding voice to the other student. “Don’t let your relationship with your sisters go to shit. ‘Cause one day you’re gonna want to tell them everything, and you’ll find that you won’t have the chance anymore.”

With that, he tried to walk away to give Chase some space to think, only pausing when the latter called out to him. “You said you had a sister too. Where’d she go?”

Feet stopped in their tracks. 

Silence fell over the pair while Adam stared into the distance. For a moment, he thought about just walking away, feeling his heart squeeze painfully and his throat close up. Yet he didn’t.

Instead, he simply turned to look over his shoulder at Chase and answered softly. “She died.”

Even when no words were shared after that, it was clear as day on Chase’s face. Sympathy, shock, he even looked away and stared down at the floor instead, deep in thought when Adam left him to his own thoughts. 

He didn’t know if the brief talk would get through to him, but he felt like he had to try. At the very least, he could open Chase’s eyes to what had blinded Adam for so long, and if he managed to at least help one little girl get her brother back? That was good enough for him. 

It was more than what he had done for Blake. 

“Since we’re coming close to the end of the lesson, lemme just say one last thing.” Tabi suddenly addressed the group, still grinning with her hands on her hips. “While you guys do get a break in the middle of the day, those that are putting the dance together are expected to report to the Headmistress. Keep her up to speed on what’ll be done and stuff.”

“That’ll be me and you guys.” Roxanne muttered to Eirian and Ruri, quickly looking over to where her brother was standing. “Chase, are you actually coming with us or what?”

“Uhh… You guys go ahead. There’s something I gotta do first.”

She didn’t try to fight it. With a disappointed sigh, she let him go, focusing her energy on other matters instead. 

Adam couldn’t help but feel the bitter disappointment too. For a moment, he thought that his talk with Chase had at least gotten to him somewhat, even if it didn’t fix the problem completely. As he watched Chase wander off again, he admonished himself for being so trusting of someone changing their nature. Someone he didn’t really know. 

Thankfully, Zanthus was there to take his mind off of it. However, rather than him pulling Adam away to do something more cheerful, he instead brought Adam off to the side of the group, looking like something was bothering him. 

Without a second thought, Adam voiced his concerns. “What’s wrong?”

“I was talking to Mauve the other day.” Adam tried his best to hide his disdain for the woman. “We have student missions after the dance, but… Samson Valley is practically on the other side of the kingdom. Only Year 3 students and higher are permitted to go that far from the Academy.”

“Shit.”

“I didn’t want to hope too much, but… I thought this was our chance. I tried to talk about it to Headmistress Eliana, but she can’t allow students not under her care to go off on a mission that they’re not qualified to do.” His ears fell flat against his head. “Might be for the best anyway. I doubt my mom would’ve been there anyway.”

“Maybe she is, maybe she isn’t, but that doesn’t mean you should give up.” Adam placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “You helped me when I was trying to find Blake, lemme help you try and find your mom.”

“I don’t want to go against the rules again. Last time we did that, you and Eirian almost died.” Zanthus mumbled sadly.

“Then we won’t. If only students in Year 3 and above can go to Samson’s Valley, we just have to see if Roxanne and her team will let us tag along.” Adam suggested.

“Can we even do that?”

“I know Steven and his team had a first year team follow them last year when they were in Mistral.” Adam recalled the friendly conversation for a moment. “If we tell Roxanne and her team what we’re thinking, they could very much offer to tag along.”

“It’d be extra backup if we need it too.” 

“Exactly. After last time, I wouldn’t mind someone watching my back.” He could feel his leg ache terribly.

“Right. We can catch Roxanne later after class, but I don’t wanna disturb Niccolo or Mauve if they’re not feeling well.” 

Adam shared the same sentiment. From what Roxanne had told him at breakfast, Niccolo wasn’t in the right mind space to talk to anyone he didn’t really know at the moment, and disturbing someone who was unwell wasn’t something he thought about doing either.

On top of that, Chase had vanished again.

It seemed like they were on their own for the meantime. Either way, Adam took the opportunity to take Zanthus’ mind of what the matter at hand. “I saw a little stall nearby that sells authentic fig cakes. Though, I don’t know how authentic it can be when it’s made by a dude from Northern Vale called Barbaros.”

That got a chuckle out of the feline Faunus.

“I dunno how they can get so much business near a buncha tar pits.” He pointed out in amusement. “But I guess one can’t hurt.”

By each other’s side, the two wandered around the city, taking in the sights up until they reached the aforementioned tar pits. 

It was just like one would imagine, only spreading far out from the city’s borders. The few pools that were in the territory were still  _ massive.  _ Deep craters in the earth’s crust where bubbling black fluid sat below, the skeletons of massive creatures that had fallen in visible from where Adam and Zanthus stood.

Taking a bite from a fig cake, he listened as someone nearby lectured to a group of children. “Remember, dears. We don’t go too close to the tar pits, otherwise we could get hurt, okay?”

“Yes, Miss Al Hroub.” The children answered in unison. 

Even with the warning, they all looked excited to be there. A chance outside of the classroom was something Adam too could understand enjoying.

Surprisingly, he noticed one girl in particular away from the group. Little Aurora. Rather than listening to the teacher or having fun with her friends, she was standing with someone else, happily talking while they knelt in front of her. When Adam took a closer look, he was surprised to see it was Chase kneeling there.

He couldn’t see the older student’s face, but Aurora seemed happy to see him. As he fixed the crooked headband on top of her head, making sure the giant sunflower on it didn’t fall off, he held his pinky out for Aurora to eagerly wrap hers around.

While he couldn’t hear their conversation, what he saw left relief in Adam’s heart. Perhaps he judged too quickly before.

When Chase got back to his feet and ushered Aurora back to her group, he turned around to see Adam and Zanthus standing off in the distance.

Blue eyes met silver. Neither said a word, only sharing a short nod before Chase went on his way.

From beside him, Zanthus pointed out through a mouth full of cake. “Looks like he takes some things seriously after all.”

“Yeah,” Adam agreed. “I just hope he takes my advice to heart.”

“I think he will. Aurora looked pretty happy to see him.”

Turning back to see Zanthus smiling sincerely, Adam found himself warming up to the possibility, smiling back with a nod. “Right.”

Before they could take their leave, however, their presence quickly became noticed. Immediately, a high pitched voice called out to them. “Hi again!”

As they looked in the direction of the voice, both students were surprised to see Aurora rushing towards them, completely ignoring her class when she saw them. Pumps tapping against the baked ground, she held her hands behind her back and swayed when she came to a stop. 

“You guys were with Roxxie this morning.” She noted. “Are you here to look at the tar pits, too?”

“Sure am. You liking the trip so far?” Zanthus asked, kneeling down so he could look Aurora in the eyes.

“Yeah. It kinda smells, though.”

Zanthus chuckled at that. “Yeah, lots of tar pits do.”

“Do you guys wanna know why we have tar pits? The teacher taught us yesterday.”

“Sure.”

“Miss Al Hroub said it’s when petroleum comes up in holes in the ground. These have been around for a really long time, and we get a lot of skeletons because animals fall in.”

Adam found himself amused by her explanation, joining in the conversation with a smirk. “Wow. You really know a lot, huh?”

“Yeah. I get really good grades. Mama said I have to if I wanna be a doctor someday.” 

The horned teen raised an eyebrow at that. “You wanna be a doctor?”

“Yeah. Roxxie, Chase and Sun wanna be Huntsmen, but I don’t wanna fight people. I wanna fix them.” Her smile brightened. “You guys are from Beacon, right? Is it like the others said?”

“What’d they say?” Zanthus asked. 

“That people there are soft because it’s not so dangerous, and that it even snows there.” She revealed. “I wanna see snow. We don’t get any here, but I don’t really like the cold.”

“I can say that it snows plenty in Beacon, but be grateful you don’t get any here. It’s horrible when you’re stuck outside.” Zanthus grimaced to himself. 

“Well, when I’m older and become a doctor, I can go around Remnant and help fix people. Roxxie said that there’s plenty of people around the world that’ll need my help, even if I don’t wanna be a Huntress.” She soon turned to Adam specifically. “I can help fix your sore, too!”

Adam was taken aback by that. The scar, hidden away by the bandage, ached and itched when he finally paid attention to it.

Still, rather than being angry or bitter towards the child, he simply patted her on the head and gently discouraged her. “This isn’t something even you can fix, kid.”

With his large hand on top of her head, Aurora pouted at that, though she didn’t let it stop her when she moved on. “Well, I can still fix a lotta things. Miss Al Hroub said I could even get into the Atlas Medical University if I keep getting good grades. All the other teachers said that people in Vacuo should stay in Vacuo, but she doesn’t think so.”

The mention of Atlas made Adam frown. He didn’t say anything, letting the child dream her dreams, but the idea of someone as innocent and kind hearted as her going to a place like Atlas filled him with dread. 

His displeasure wasn’t as under control as he had thought, with Zanthus noticing the shift in his expression and quickly changing the subject. “So what’s your teacher like?”

“She’s really nice! She takes us on lots of trips, and even when we’re in the classroom, her lessons are really fun!” She rambled on. “Do you wanna meet her? She’s really nice, and she’s a Faunus too.”

“We don’t wanna disturb your lesson, but maybe some other time.” Aurora deflated at that, though Zanthus lifted her spirits again with a pat on her head. “Go back to your lesson, and we’ll tell you all about Beacon when Sun brings you home from school.”

“Really?!” Zanthus nodded. “Okay, see you guys later! Chase said he’ll be picking me up instead of Sun today, so you can tell him all about it, too!”

As she ran off to rejoin her group, Zanthus and Adam were left dumbfounded right where they stood. 

Neither of them said anything for a moment. Silence washed over them, it was Zanthus who broke it first, turning to Adam with raised eyebrows. “I guess your talk with him really got Chase thinking, huh?”

“Yeah…. I guess it did.”

Though it was a shock to hear, it was a pleasant shock. Even when they left Aurora to her trip and returned to Shade, Adam couldn’t stop thinking about it, feeling some pride that at least one child had their sibling by their side.

In the back of his mind, he could hear his own voice muttering sadly. 

_ Wish I could’ve done the same for you, Blake... _


	32. A Night To Remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A night to relax is all that anyone wants in a life of a Huntsman. A chance for peace, to reunite with friends and to forget the evil that lurked outside their safe borders. As the dance finally arrives, Adam and his team take the chance to talk to Team CRMN about their mission; finding Zanthus' mother. With a plan set and the teens taking a break, feelings that have been buried for too long come to light, for better or for worse.

“You sure?” 

Zanthus seemed conflicted. From where Adam was standing, he could understand, knowing how awkward it was to rely on others in personal matters. 

The morning of the dance was not one he’d envision. Rather than getting ready for the night like all the other students at Shade, he and his team had gone straight to Team CRMN’s dorm room, finally able to get them all together with Niccolo and Mauve feeling up to having visitors. By the time they reached, they were welcomed by a wildly different Niccolo.

Friendly and bright, he was more childlike, easily distracted with Nabk while Mauve tried to keep his attention on the situation at hand. 

As Zanthus stood in the middle of the room, the rest of the teams sat around. Chase was lounged on his bed, his hat completely gone to show off his closely shaved black hair, while Roxanne sat at the bottom, slapping his feet away when he tried to rest them on her. The room was set up similarly to the room that team AZRE had been given for their temporary stay at the Academy.

From the desk pushed up between two of the groves that held the beds inside, Mauve was the first to speak. “Are you certain she’s in Samson’s Valley?”

“Well, no…” he mumbled back. “But it’s where our tribe is. It’s the only place I know of where she could be.”

“We found people with far less.” Chase piped up from his bed.

“People we were at least certain were in Vacuo.” Roxanne countered. “From what you’ve told us, your mother has traveled across Remnant itself. There’s not enough evidence for me to comfortably accept you guys tagging along on our missions.”

Zanthus deflated at that. Beside him, Adam slowly went to place a hand on his shoulder, doing what little he could to comfort the boy. It wasn’t much, but it was clearly appreciated from that look on his friend’s face.

“I agree with Roxanne. The shadow missions for older years are our first chance to get a taste of what we’ll do as Huntsmen, I don’t want to waste that on a wild goose chase.” Mauve agreed. 

From beside her, Niccolo suddenly piped up. “We’re a team, though. I think we should go. At the very least, we can thin down the Grimm that’ve increased recently in the mountain range.”

“I heard about that across the grape vine. Few caravans never made it back to the city because of Grimm.” Chase revealed, with a shrug. “It’s not gonna be a waste even if we don’t find  _ caramelo’s  _ mama.”

Roxanne didn’t seem entirely eager with half of her team approving the idea. Still, she was nothing if not flexible, nodding with a sigh. “I’ll think about it. We still have some time before the missions, but I suggest you gather more information in the meantime.”

“What should we look for?” Eirian asked from Niccolo’s bed.

“Anything that can narrow down our search. Hotep Palazar is the place to go for information on tribes outside the city limits, they typically hear all kinds of gossip from merchants that have traveled all across the kingdom.”

“What’re we waiting for, then?” The dark skinned girl hopped up from her spot. “Let’s get started!”

“Hol’ up, sunshine.” Chase’s voice stopped her in her tracks. 

Turning to him, the team watched as he swung his long legs off the side of his bed, getting up to his feet while stretching his arms up over his head. Without his jacket, his unbuttoned red shirt rode up to expose some of his abs underneath.

“I love running off to do shady dealings as much as the next guy,” he started. “But that can wait until tomorrow. You guys need a break, and with the dance tonight, maybe you should start thinking about who you wanna take?”

“Relaxing does sound tempting… But I’ll be starting as soon as dawn breaks tomorrow.” Zanthus compromised. “I have to find her.”

“We’ll help. If we split up, we should be able to cover more bases that way.” Adam’s suggestion brought a small smile to Zanthus’ face.

“Any help we can offer is yours.” Mauve offered. 

Suddenly, Adam felt his eyebrows furrow. Biting venom sat at that back of his mouth, quickly spewing out before he could stop it, only able to stand there as he snapped back. “We don’t want it."

“Adam.” Zanthus’ disappointed voice erased any anger bubbling in his stomach. 

Instead, he felt guilt, quickly realising his selfishness taking over, his hatred for Mauve and everything she stood for. Chase and Roxanne were free to offer, he knew them enough to trust them, and his past hatred towards humans had since mellowed somewhat over his time in Beacon.

But an  _ Atlesian  _ human is not someone he is willing to barter with. 

Yet, this was not his place to say so. It was not his family he was searching for anymore, it was Zanthus’, and after all the help he gave Adam in the past, he had to repay it. 

So, for now, he let his anger and distrust sit deep below the surface, letting Zanthus take the lead. “We’ll take whatever help we can get.”

“If it’s info you want, I know someone who can help us out.” Chase suddenly confessed. “You guys saw her in Theo’s lesson the other day. Pretty lady from the Temple of Meresankh, Ankhsenamun.”

“She’s not exactly hard to miss.” Roxanne shot back.

“Jealousy ain’t cute, Roxxie. Either way, people of Vacuo tend to be superstitious, and come to the temples to pray for the usual. Safe travels, wealth, good crop growth, you get the idea.” Chase shrugged nonchalantly. “If the Palazar ain’t no good, I’m sure she’ll know something.”

“It’s as good a shot as any.” Zanthus muttered gingerly.

“It’s sorted, then. We’ll head out in the morning and see what we can find.” Adam summarized. “Ain’t much we can do right now, and I do want a night to just think things through before rushing in.”

“ _ Not rushing in? Is this the same Adam we know? _ ” Ruri joked, smirking when Adam glared at her.

“Well, I got some things to sort out before the dance tonight, so I’ll catch y'all later.” Chase plucked his hat off the end of his bed, placing it on his head while walking over to the door casually.

No one stopped him. Likely a common occurrence, they just let him go without a fight, though as soon as the door closed, Mauve immediately turned to Roxanne with a raised eyebrow. “He’s gone to see her, hasn’t he?”

“Or the general again.” Roxanned sighed to herself. “Mama is gonna be so angry.”

“It’ll be alright. She wasn’t super angry at him last time he did this.” Niccolo pointed out.

That caught Adam’s attention. “He’s done this before?”

“Chase has an ‘acquired taste’. He prefers older partners, and tends to gravitate towards them, even if they don’t seem interested themselves.” Roxanne explained in annoyance. “He never does anything if they’re not receptive, but that doesn’t mean Mama enjoys watching her son go after men or women twice his age.”

“I’m not sure I would either.” Zanthus rubbed the back of his neck.

Surprisingly, Eirian piped up. “I don’t know, older partners have the experience about them. I can get behind finding them attractive.”

“Well, that’s something I never knew about you, Eirian.” Adam shot back.

“Happy to share, Adam.”

“Either way, I leave him to it. So long as it’s not hurting him or anyone, I see no problem personally with it.” The feminine twin confessed. “For now, I wanna focus on getting ready for the dance. Mama allows Aurora to come so no one has to miss out babysitting her, and she can’t get into the dress I bought her by herself.”

“Her dress isn’t the only over the top thing I’ve noticed. We’ve all seen your dress, Roxanne.” Mauve chuckled softly.

Roxanne’s face flushed brightly at that. Hands cupping her warm cheeks, she turned away from her team, her voice a soft tone when she mumbled in embarrassment. “I didn’t mean to go so wild with the ruffles.”

“I hope we can have the chandelier out this year. It should be fixed by now.” Niccolo mused to himself.

Adam and Zanthus shared a look when Mauve replied matter of factly. “That’s what happens when you try to swing from it. You have to stop letting Chase goad you so easily, Flavio.”

“It’s not my fault. I didn’t know the chain tying it to the ceiling was already really weak.” His one green eye was wide with the way it stared at his partner. 

With the way Mauve stared disapprovingly back at him, he slunk back in his spot, rubbing his upper arm as his voice dropped to a nervous mutter. “Does this mean you won’t come to the dance with me?”

“Of course, I will.” Her frown shifted to an affectionate smile at that. “But you will be on your best behaviour.”

Okay. I promise.”

“Speaking of partners…” Everyone turned to Eirian as she piped up. “Any ideas who you guys wanna take?”

“You’re not thinking of taking anyone?” Zanthus asked in surprise.

She shrugged at that. “It’s a big thing for couples. Dancing. I haven’t met anyone I feel that way towards yet. But I still got a dance with Ruri, obviously after she danced with Ro-!”

A sharp elbow in her side cut the energetic girl off. With a pained whine, she rubbed the tender spot gingerly, turning to see Ruri giving her a heated look. It was more than enough to get the point across without any words being shared.

Quickly, Eirian swiftly got to her feet with Nabk resting on her shoulder, trying her best to avoid suspicion with a grin plastered on her face. “Well, we’d love to stay and chat, but we should really go and get ready! Don’t wanna turn up unprepared now!”

With that, she was out the door in seconds. The poor thing was nearly flung off its hinges by the force she hit it with.

Shaking his head, Adam followed after her in a more calm manner, sticking to Zanthus’ side while bidding his farewells to the team. “See you guys tonight.”

“See ya there.” Roxanne smiled back.

By the time he and Zanthus had left the room, they were greeted with the sight of Ruri pinching Eirian roughly on the cheek, practically pulling the skin while her friend jumped about in her grasp.

“Ow, ow! I didn’t mean to nearly blurt it out, you know! Let go of my face!”

Thankfully, Ruri gave and released Eirian from her tight grip, standing there with her arms crossed and an unamused look on her face while the other girl whined. “You didn’t need to nearly tug my face clean off! I bruise easily.”

“ _ Your aura will protect you. _ ” She shot back. “ _ I’m going back to the dorm to start getting ready for the dance. If you want me to do your makeup like you asked, then let’s go. _ ”

With a raised eyebrow, Adam pulled his scroll out of his pocket and looked at the lit up screen quizzically. “The dance isn’t for another four hours.”

“ _ It takes as much time as it takes to look as good as us. _ ” Ruri smirked playfully.

“Yeah, perfection takes time.” Eirian posed beside her.

Though Adam simply shook his head in disbelief, Zanthus seemed actually interested. “What’d you guys have to do anyway?”

“Shower, lotion, air dry hair, then you have to style it while it’s still damp-”

“- _ iron out all the creases in the dress, get it on, then it’s the foundation, mascara, lipstick-” _

“-after that, you have to do your nails and wait for them to dry-”

“- _ otherwise you’ll end up smudging them when you put your shoes on- _ ”

“Okay, okay. I think I get the jist of it.” Zanthus rubbed his head gingerly.

“Why don’t you guys come with us?” Eirian offered. “We got some stuff in the dorm that’d suit both of you.”

That sounded like the last thing Adam wanted to do. Yet, much to his surprise, Zanthus actually contemplated it. “Sounds like fun, actually…”

“Wh- Seriously?” He shrugged at Adam’s shocked outburst.

While he wasn’t one for the level of self care that Eirian and Ruri were fond of, he didn’t insult Zanthus or anything for showing some interest. He might not be interested, but his friend was. It would be a good chance for them to do something as friends rather than focusing on the many pressing issues plaguing them. 

So, he gave in and spoke. “Might not be that bad.”

Surprisingly, he wasn’t wrong. 

As soon as they returned to their dorm, the girls were already upon them, eager to get their male teammates and themselves ready for the dance. 

As Adam sat there on the chair, wearing nothing but a pair of comfortable shorts, Eirian stood in front of him with clear determination on her face. A tongue peeked out from between her lips, those eyes were squinted while she slowly dragged a pencil across his eyebrows. He had no idea what it was for, and any explanation she gave fell on deaf ears, leaving him to just sit there in confusion. 

Quietly, he heard her mutter in awe. “You have such pretty eyebrows, Adam…”

“Uh… Thanks.” 

“Are you sure the lotion you gave me is supposed to itch?” Zanthus piped up from the background.

When the two turned around to check on him, they were surprised to see him sitting on his bed practically clawing his own face off. The spots were Eirian had put the lotion were blotchy and red, only further irritated by the unrelenting scratching. 

“You’re gonna claw your skin off!” Eirian admonished, rushing to his side as she wiped his face with some of those wet wipes she seemed to always be carrying around. “Maybe your skin just doesn’t like it…”

“ _ He could be allergic. You should’ve done a spot check before applying it fully.”  _ Ruri lectured from her spot in front of the mirror. 

Already showered and pulled her damp hair into a tight upknot, she busied herself with the various lotions and skin care products that she had lined much meticulously in front of her. Though Adam couldn’t see the labels, the fact that the small text were written in a language that he couldn’t even understand helped little. 

While Eirian tried to save what she could on Zanthus’ face, Adam found himself more interested in the other girl, approaching her when she noticed her struggling with the stubborn hair. 

From beside her, he asked gently. “Need some help?”

With a short nod, she stood there practically glaring at her hair while he did his best to help. It managed to slip out with a bit of coaxing. 

“Any particular style you’re going for tonight?”

“ _ Traditional. I had Mother send me the hair piece she bought for me for my sixteenth. _ ” Sure enough, Ruri gestured to the hair piece she had left sitting on the dressing table. 

It was certainly a beautiful thing to behold. A white camellia flower set on a purple hair clasp, similar to one that Shinju wore in her own hair. While he tied the hair up into the high bun that many women wore in Mistral, he picked the ornament with one hand, noticing the purple beads that dangled down from it before fixing it into the left side of her head.

“Your hair is so easy to work with.” He noted with a smile. “I’ve always had to deal with more unruly hair before.”

Ruri didn’t say anything at first. With her reflection clear in the mirror, he could see a deep frown on her face, as though something was weighing on her mind. 

Calmly, he coaxed her. “You look like you have something you wanna say.”

“ _ It’s… not a matter I should talk about. _ ”

“Ruri, come on. Whatever it is, you can say.”

Slowly, she came out of her shell with a deep inhale. “ _ Is this what you used to do… with Blake? _ ”

Hands stilled at that. 

For a moment, he thought about dismissing the question. It was complicated. It always was, but something deep inside yearned to think of the good times, to keep the face in his mind that was under threat of being forgotten. 

“I…” He started with a shaky voice, managing to get it under control with a deep cough. “No. Blake always liked keeping her hair short, and our mom thought it looked cute on her. Though one time, when she grew it out a bit, I put it up in a ponytail while she was reading. Kept it out of her eyes, you know?”

When he glanced over to Eirian and Zanthus, he found them sitting there quietly, listening with saddened smiles while he reminisced. 

“ _ She liked to read? _ ” Ruri asked politely.

“Always had her nose in a book.” He laughed softly to himself. “I used to read her bedtime stories back in Menagerie. Even on the road, she would pick up any book she could find, even asking the other Faunus in the White Fang if they had any that she hadn’t already read.”

Even if the pain resurfaced at the memory, it was soothed, like talking about it somewhat dulled the pain in his chest and in his mind.

“ _ The books you had back when we met. Were they hers? _ ”

“Yeah. I took them when I left. I was gonna give them back when I found her, but…” 

The air felt heavy when his sentence trailed off. None of them said anything, but he could tell what they were thinking. 

Suddenly, Zanthus was the one to break the silence. “They can always be something from her for you. A memento, kinda.”

“Yeah, they could be. It’s weird… it’s been a year since that day, but… it feels like it still happened just yesterday. I’m able to keep doing everything, I can get outta bed, but it’s like… a weight. Like something is sitting on top of me and I can’t shake it off.”

“It’s the grief.” Eirian spoke up. “Some days you feel like you can try and move on, and then it comes outta nowhere and breaks down everything you built up.”

“So, what do I do?”

“You pick up the pieces, look at what works, and make something new. You may not have a choice in what life throws at you, but you always have a choice in how you react.”

A brief moment of contemplation crossed Adam’s mind. Slowly, he thought of a reply, unsure of the answer he would get until he finally said it. “Did it work for you?”

Eirian’s face dropped at that. 

Eyes looked off to the side, her entire demeanor losing that bright warmth as all that was left was empty sadness. 

“I don’t know.” Her voice was a soft whisper at that. 

None said anything to that. They didn’t know how, the silence returning with a vengeance before Eirian quickly shifted back to her usual self. 

“I thought we were meant to be enjoying the night?” she joked. “Not that I don’t appreciate some good ol’ emotional support, you know, but I wanna get ready before we end up missing it.”

Adam didn’t try to push it. He knew it’d solve nothing, but he couldn’t help but glance nervously over to Zanthus, finding the latter sharing the same look. Even Ruri seemed unsure as she moved away from Adam’s grip.

“ _ Come. Your eyebrows are uneven. _ ”

He didn’t argue, rather sitting down to let Ruri finish up what Eirian had started. Compared to the other girl, she had a steadier hand, guiding the pencil easily without any of the clear concentration on her face. 

Eventually, Adam was done. He had to be honest… he rather enjoyed the way they did his makeup. 

Without his bandage on his face anymore, he found himself staring at the scar on his face. Ruri had avoided that area, not wanting to irritate the skin any more, but he had hoped deep down that they had something that would cover it up. He was tired of wearing the bandage everywhere.

Still, with the way the eyeliner and foundation smoothed his skin out, he actually appreciated the look more. 

From beside him, he watched as Ruri finished up her makeup. It was simple, a touch of purple eyeshadow that matched her eyes, blue lipstick a shade lighter than her scales, and she was done. As for her outfit, it was certainly  _ more. _

It was certainly one that could be traced back to her home. A long kimono similar to her other outfits, the sleeves hid away her hands when she let her arms rest by her sides, tied down with a blue obi and then a smaller green one. Purple rope dug into her waist, holding her entire dress closed.

When she moved away, he noticed the intricate sewing of a blue koi on the left side of the outfit, the fish curling around a white camellia flower like the one in Ruri’s hair. Only her face was visible, with even her feet hidden away by the heavy fabric draping down over them. 

It made him feel a bit plain in his own outfit. It was by no means simple, he was fond of the form fitting black jacket with red decals, similar to his old one in Beacon, and even enjoyed how comfortable the matching pants were. Fiddling with a silver clasp that held the jacket closed, he turned to see Eirian and Zanthus ready to go also.

There was no shock in what Eirian was wearing. In fact, he almost expected her to be decked out in something like that. 

With her white dress similar to her shirt, held by a collar of blue and white stripes, it fell lower on the left side, with the blue underskirt showing on the right side. Unlike her previous shirt, the dress showed more of the skin under her arms and chest, some of her scars peeking through when she turned to the side to pull her dreads up. 

Managing to get them into a high ponytail, she looked at her handiwork with a pleased smile. By the time they had finished, the day soon gave to night, so only the light from the dorm room ceiling twinkled in the silver diamond shaped earrings she wore. 

Lips covered in silver lipstick and eyes accented with eyeshadow of the same colour, she was proud of her work.

Yet, Adam found his attention pulled to Zanthus. 

He wasn’t as bold as Eirian or Ruri. A simple gold shirt with a red sash over, and some sandals, but the gold plated headpiece he wore shone brightly in the light. Like a helmet without the back, it rested on the top of his head, only his ears poking out from the top. 

Suddenly, Adam heard Eirian pipe up. “You’re staring.”

“Huh?” He snapped out of his daze, looking away bashfully. “Sorry…”

“It’s.. alright.” Zanthus looked away as well, rubbing the back of his neck with a nervous laugh. “I know it ain’t much compared to Eirian’s.”

“I think it suits you.” 

Adam’s confession completely stumped the feline Faunus. Shocked, he couldn’t even look at the smug Eirian, turning his attention to the beds while rambling. “We should get going.”

“ _ You guys go ahead. There’s something I need to do first. _ ” Ruri suggested. 

That caught everyone’s attention. Quickly, Eirian asked softly. “Is something wrong?”

“ _ No. _ ” She shook her head. “ _ I just have something to do. I won’t be long, I promise.” _

“I should get to the dance all early. Roxanne said she’d be late, so Mauve’s all on her own doing last minute preparations.” Eirian sighed, fixing the metal bands around her arm as translucent fabric hung between them. “Don’t you two stay here too long. The dance should be starting soon.”

“We promise to be on time.” Zanthus replied, crossing a finger over his heart with a smirk.

That at least got a laugh from her. Amused, she and Ruri quickly exited the room, leaving just Adam and Zanthus alone. 

With the long coattails of his jacket flowing behind him, Adam took the moment to check himself over one last time, hoping to catch any imperfections before he would show his face to an entire ballroom of strangers. 

It wasn’t something he would enjoy much, but it was a nice night out of the dorm, and those were especially rare nowadays. 

Suddenly, Zanthus’ voice piped up. “Hey.”

“What?” Adam turned around, fixing a few stubborn strands of hair before he noticed Zanthus holding something in his hand. 

Standing there, he stared down at it, the thing he was holding being the amulet that he had given Adam over a year ago before he went to Sasnak Docks.

“You… kept it.” His voice was a soft whisper, almost surprised at what he was saying. 

“Yeah? You gave it to me.” Adam pointed out in amusement, approaching him to gently take the amulet from his hand. 

Zanthus let him. Ears flattened back, a deep blush crossing his entire face as he stammered back. “R-Right. I did, so of course you’d keep it.”

Something felt off. Adam couldn’t quite put a finger on it, but it wasn’t the usual disdain that he was used to from people. It felt like Zanthus was more scatterbrained, frantic sometimes, but it wasn’t because Adam did something that annoyed him. He knew when his friend was upset. This wasn’t it.

But what was it?

Eyes fell down to the amulet in his hand. Even after a year, he had kept it as pristine as he could, making sure to cherish the gift given to him. Given that he wore it everywhere, he was surprised that it was as good of a condition as it was. 

Slowly, he wove the thread around his neck, making sure to tuck the amulet under his jacket for safekeeping before turning his attention back to the other student in front of him. “I never really thanked you.”

“For what?”

“For everything. Blake, Beacon, the White Fang. I don’t think I would’ve gotten as far as I did without your help.”

Zanthus laughed nervously at that. “I think you’re selling yourself a bit short there. I mean, you were the one to break away from the White Fang and go after Blake yourself. You made the decision to come to Beacon.”

“It… wasn’t my decision entirely.” 

Glancing away, Adam found himself wondering when he confessed. “I actually came across a couple in Knossos. The man was… rough, but he told me some hard truths that at the time I didn’t want to hear. About the White Fang, about the war, about… myself. Looking back, seeing how I treated Eirian, Ruri, you. I’m not proud of that.”

“Even though you got the push, it was still you who made the final jump. I think you should remember that too.” Zanthus suggested, placing a hand on Adam’s shoulder. 

With the comforting weight on his shoulder, Adam finally met his eyes. The slit pupils were completely circular, soft and tender, even when others would see them and be scared by the unnatural look of them. Adam didn’t. He looked at them, and he felt something deep in his chest. 

What it was remained unknown, but it wasn’t an unpleasant sensation. 

Much to his disappointment, they couldn’t remain there forever. Zanthus knew that just as well, backing up to give Adam some space with a more comfortable energy around him, no longer nervous or bashful as he joked. “Come on, or we’re gonna have to deal with Eirian for missing the dance.”

A deep chuckle escaping his lips. Without another word, Adam followed after his friend, the two leaving the dorm room and making their way towards where the dance was being held. 

As soon as they arrived, they were left in awe at the sight of it. 

The ballroom was so different from the one in Beacon. Most of the space was reserved for the dance floor, tables that held food and drink pushed up to the sides of the room along with chairs for those who wished to sit. Rather than a chandelier and green lightning that bathed the room, the fabrics that decorated that dorms’ ceilings draped from this one, the red and gold lightning colouring the entire space before them. 

Twin stairs curled up at the back, leading up to one of the many balconies that Shade had. Some of the students that had arrived already took to standing near them, while most were either dancing or sitting by the tables and enjoying light conversation. 

Eirian was nowhere to be seen. 

Sure enough, someone else they knew appeared right in front of them.

“I was wondering when you two would show.” Mauve confessed shortly.

As soon as Adam glared at her, he noticed that she was dressed up just like everyone else. Rather than her knight-like outfit, she was wearing a simple purple dress, the square cut showing off her collarbones while the long fabric covered her legs. The collar had small yellow lines decorating it, the same yellow as her sharp eyes.

Besides the change in outfit, she didn’t seem to have done anything else. Even then, she looked somewhat uncomfortable standing there.

“You alright, Mauve?” Zanthus asked.

“Somewhat. I admit I am not, how you say…  _ comfortable  _ not wearing pants.” She picked up the hem of her dress.

The blond raised an eyebrow. “Why didn’t you pick out a suit, then? I’m sure the headmistress wouldn’t object?”

“Roxanne was very excited to go dress shopping with me. Given that Chase and Niccolo aren’t interested, I was the only choice. At least, before Eirian and the quiet girl came into the picture.” Mauve sighed deeply. “She’s my friend. I didn’t want to disappoint her.”

“You’re certainly a credit to your people.” Adam snapped at her sharply. 

While Zanthus was displeased with the biting attitude, Mauve seemed to let it go, instead focusing on the other student rather than his aggressive friend. “Your teammate was a godsend. Came to help just before when Roxanne didn’t show up, I wouldn’t have gotten everything perfect if not for her.”

“You guys really outdid yourselves.” Zanthus complimented.

As much as Adam didn’t want to admit it to Mauve, he felt the same way. It was honestly breathtaking how beautiful the ballroom was.

That managed to bring a smile on Mauve’s face. “I can’t take all the credit. Roxanne and Eirian work very well together, you’d think they’ve been friends for a long time.”

“What about Ruri?”

“Ah, she was helpful, but… quiet. Roxanne knows sign language but I’m afraid I’m not so lucky.” Mauve confessed gingerly. “I thought she would be with Eirian, but I was quite surprised when she didn’t show up as well.”

“Ruri isn’t here?” Adam joined in. 

“No. I’ve been asked to see to the students that arrive, but I haven’t seen your friend anywhere.  _ Désolée. _ ”

With that, she turned her attention to more of the students that had arrived, leaving Adam and Zanthus alone to mull over what she had just told them. When Adam looked over to the other, he saw the same confusion and worry that he himself felt. 

“I’m sure something’s just come up. She’ll be here soon.” He comforted, trying to be the reasoning voice.

Thankfully, Zanthus seemed to perk up with that, nodding with a quiet. “Right.”

As the thought of their missing friend shifted to the background, they decided to try and at least enjoy the night. 

It was less a ball dance and more of a rave, the students letting loose and having fun with high beat music blasting out of giant speakers. No doubt Eirian’s suggestion, knowing how the fun loving girl functioned. 

He couldn’t see smoke machines anywhere, though. 

Adam wasn’t one for dancing. As the other students had fun around them, he decided to make his way to the refreshments table, but not before someone suddenly appeared in front of them. 

“There you guys are!”

“Eirian, where’ve you been?” Adam admonished.

“Around. Sure is packed tonight.” She whistled loudly, though her voice was somewhat muffled with the music blaring in the background. “Why aren’t you guys dancing?”

“I said I’d come, but I said nothing about dancing. You know I’m not good at it.” His voice sounded more defensive than he intended.

Eirian didn’t let it get to her, though. With that same smile, she simply accepted Adam’s reason, no longer pushing him to do what she wanted as she instead turned to Zanthus. “You wanna be my dance partner? It’s no fun by myself.”

“Isn’t Chase or Niccolo around?” Zanthus looked around.

As Adam gave a quick search, he found that the other students were nowhere to be seen, though it was difficult to find  _ anyone  _ in the sea of bodies jumping around.

“I was with Chase just before, but he’s gone and disappeared again.” Eirian confessed. “Niccolo went to find Mauve, too. Please? I need a dance partner!”

Zanthus gave a quick glance to Adam, the latter amused when he turned back to their friend and agreed with a touched tone. “Alright. Let’s go.”

Eirian was practically bursting with excitement when she dragged the dumbfounded Zanthus away. 

With them disappearing into the crowds, Adam found himself completely alone. No desire to dance, he went towards the tables by himself, making himself comfortable with a disposable cup in hand. Whatever they’d put in the punch, it was delicious. 

Was that papaya?  _ Eirian. _

From the sidelines, he watched everyone present enjoying themselves. It was a comforting sight. Humans, Faunus, students and teachers, all together just… having fun. Old memories came back at the sight. Memories that, for better or for worse, he found himself looking back at fondly. 

The White Fang wasn’t always doom and gloom. A few times, he remembered just sitting around the campfire, listening to Faunus around him laughing and joking, sharing songs and stories while others slept peacefully. It wasn’t much, but it was family.  _ His  _ family.

But that was gone. Just memories left, remnants of what once was. 

Suddenly, he noticed a particular someone sitting down near him. As he approached, he quickly asked the questions on his mind. 

“What’re you doing sitting here, Headmaster?” 

Ozpin seemed different. Unlike the man who projected mystery and invincibility, he was practically slumped in that chair. Skin as pale as snow and hair limp and lifeless, he didn’t look right, and Adam couldn’t help but feel that something was wrong. 

Still, the headmaster kept his humour. “I’m afraid my dancing days are behind me, Mr Taurus.”

“Are you okay? You look… unwell.”

“I’m fine. Just a bit tired.” He let out a weak cough. “Seems like my old age has finally caught up with me.”

A nervous laugh escaped Adam’s throat. “With all due respect, sir, you don’t actually look that old.”

That managed to get a good laugh from Ozpin.

“Thank you for the compliment. I’m afraid that my old age is more than just my body, however. I can feel it deep in my soul.”

“With all the work you do, maybe taking a break is what you need to recuperate?” Adam suggested.

Ozpin didn’t say anything to that. As he sat there in his chair, his golden eyes watching the students dancing in front of him, he suddenly asked the teen beside him. “What do you see before you, Adam?”

Confused, Adam followed his gaze, searching through the students with uncertainty lacing his words. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“The children in front of you. Would you believe that, back in my day, they would be given a sword and asked to go out and fight for their lives, their freedom?”

“The Great War happened nearly eighty years ago. You’re not that old, Headmaster.”

“I’m certain you know of the Faunus Revolution. The wars that happen every day somewhere in the world.” Adam looked away when he mentioned that. “We’re similar people, Adam. Fighting for others. Would you have laid down your sword if your health started failing you? If someone asked?”

“...If I’m honest? No.”

“Of course not. That’s why you joined my Academy, isn’t it? To keep fighting in ways to help your people? That is the same path for me, and I’m afraid of what would happen if I stop.”

“What would happen? Remnant has been in as much peace as we could get in a long time.” Adam pointed out. “It’s not perfect, but I don’t think it could ever be perfect. So long as people exist, there will always be hate, wars, death. That’s just how the world works.”

Something flashed across Ozpin’s face at that. Adam didn’t quite catch it, only seeing those eyes dull for a moment before the headmaster turned to watch the students in front of them once more. 

“People are flawed, but over the years I’ve found that for every evil being, there are ten good people trying to fix it. We can’t have one without the other to balance its nature.”

“Very philosophical approach there, sir.” Adam retorted jokingly.

“I fear I’ve been around Eliana for too long.” Ozpin managed to laugh, even getting a laugh out of Adam while they stood there. 

Slowly, Adam turned back to the drinks beside him, sparing a quick glance to the man beside him before grabbing one of them. 

Gently, he handed the cup to Ozpin with a smile. “Here. You should at least keep hydrated if you’re staying.”

“I heard Miss Esna was in charge of the beverages.” Ozpin noted. “I hope she didn’t put any papaya in there. I’m deathly allergic.”

“On second thought.” Adam quickly took the drink back off him and replaced it with water that was, thankfully, supplied next to it. 

Accepting the new cup with a grateful nod, the two stood there in silence. 

He couldn’t help it, but Adam found himself mulling over the conversation, watching Zanthus and Eirian dancing together. They looked in complete bliss. No embarrassment or stage fright with dancing in front of so many others, they did what they wanted, having fun with each other as the song went on. 

Something couldn’t be shaken from his mind, though. So softly, he piped up. “Headmaster?”

“Yes?”

“What you said before, about good and bad people… What do you think of those that make mistakes, that do evil things, but because they think it’s for good? What are they?”

“I think they’re the most human of us all. Everyone here has made mistakes, done evil things, but I have no doubt that in their heart, they do it for good things. Freedom, equality, love. Virtues can always be twisted when not tempered.”

“But where’s the limit? What do they have to do that tips them over into being pure evil?”

“There’s no such thing as pure evil, Adam. There’s a story to every person, on what made them who they are, and even in the most despicable being, there’s always that little good. Good that has to fight with a monster.” Ozpin’s voice dropped at that.

“I just… don’t know what I am.” Adam stared down at the punch in his cup.

His reflection stared back at him. A soft blue eye, he almost didn’t recognise it, spending so long focusing on his scar, his bad eye, that he had ignored all the rest he had to offer.

From beside him, he listened as Ozpin made an observation. “I think you’re a good man who has made terrible choices. I understand the guilt that comes with that, over a life as long as mine, you find that you make more and more mistakes than those younger, but I believe that throughout all your life, your heart was in the right place. There is no shame in wanting equality, only in how you obtain it.”

“That’s just it. I  _ don’t know  _ how to get what I want anymore. Ghira’s way wasn’t working, Sienna’s way made things worse, and Kaanchana… I don’t even know what she wanted anymore.” He looked away in shame. “Nothing’s changed. I haven’t done anything right all this time, and I’m scared that at the end, I’ll have nothing to show with my life.”

“That isn’t true.” 

Quickly, Adam snapped back around to where Ozpin sat, surprised by the quick confession before the headmaster continued. “I think you’ve changed the people around you. Your team are there as proof that, no matter what, you matter to someone.”

With a quick nudge of his head, he gestured to Zanthus and Eirian, both completely unaware of the conversation that was taking place. 

As Adam watched them closely, Ozpin mused out loud. “Perhaps you’ve touched them in ways you don’t even realise. Perhaps… the same could be said for them towards you.”

All things said and done, the two found their talk abruptly cut when Eirian hobbled towards them. 

“These shoes are killing me!” She complained loudly, making short work of the shoes as she laid them beside Ozpin’s legs. “Sir, can you please mind them for me?”

“I’ll make sure they stay right here.” 

“Awesome! Oh, Adam, Zanthus asked me to ask you if you wanna dance with him?” Eirian’s request piqued Adam’s interest.

A quizzical raise of his eyebrow, he asked. “Why didn’t he ask me himself?”

“I dunno, just go and dance with him! You never deny a gentleman’s request!” 

She practically pushed him onto the dance floor. As they reached where Zanthus stood, Eirian all but abandoned him there, vanishing with a quick. “Have fun!”

There was no way he could get out of this. Surrounded by people, he turned to focus on Zanthus, finding the latter suddenly shy now that he was there. 

Feeling the annoyance slip away, Adam instead questioned in amusement. “Eirian asked you wanted to dance with me?”

“Yeah, but you can go back if you don’t wanna.” Zanthus was quick to offer. “Honestly, I shoulda asked you myself, but I was just scared you’d reject and then Eirian offered and-”

“You don’t have to explain yourself.”

Almost as if on cue, the thumping music suddenly died down to a slower, more melancholy song. As Adam looked around, he noticed Eirian chatting with the DJ in charge of the music, flashing a thumbs up when she noticed Adam staring. 

Eyes narrowed, his annoyance faded when he turned back to Zanthus. The poor boy looked so nervous. His ears practically hidden, eyes averted, he didn’t even make the first move, instead expecting Adam to reject his request and return to the refreshments table. 

Yet, he didn’t. Slow and careful, he took Zanthus close, smiling warmly as he accepted. “I think I can make the exception for you.”

Surprise was clear in those dark eyes. Face flushed deeply, he couldn’t help but smile giddily, trying his best not to mess up as they danced around the floor. 

It was like everyone around them vanished, just leaving them. All of Adam’s attention was fixated on Zanthus. The way the light illuminated his tanned face, the carefree smile on his face, the way it made Adam feel. It was almost like his heart was flying right out of his mouth. 

Nothing could even describe it. 

For a moment, just a moment, it all felt  _ perfect. _

But then it wasn’t. 

Adam didn’t know why. One moment, he was eager to remain where he was, and then the thoughts at the back of his head started surfacing. The fear of the unknown gripped him, the insults and jabs clawing at him as years of hate and abuse came flooding back.

**_You can’t feel love, Adam._ ** The voice would hiss back.  **_No one ever loved you, and even if they did, they just abandoned you. How could they stay? Why would they stay?_ **

Slowly, he found himself pulling away, watching Zanthus’ face drop in confusion while he shied away from any comfort given to him.

“I…” he started. “I’m sorry.”

He couldn’t bear to even look at the disappointment on the other boy’s face. Quickly, he turned around and ran off, pushing through the students in his way. Any of their annoyed complaints fell on deaf ears, Adam too preoccupied to even care about what they had to say. 

Before he knew it, he found himself on the balcony which the dual stairs led up to. 

The cold air bit into his face, the discomfort almost noticeable as he moved closer to the railing. As he leaned against it, he watched the stars up above, finding that the full moon was out in plain sight that night. Roxanne was at least right on that. 

Yet he couldn’t even appreciate the beauty of it. Emotions swirled in his stomach, making it twist painfully while he gripped his hair tight. Fingers dug into red strands, tugging while he groaned to himself. “What am I doing?”

“Adam?” Gods,  _ not now. _

Without looking, he knew it was Zanthus long before his face appeared beside him. 

As the teen leaned against the railing too, he tried to comfort his friend, but him being there, talking to him and  _ touching  _ him, it did little to quell Adam’s nerves.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, growing more concerned when Adam didn’t reply. “I can’t help if you don’t let me.”

“I don’t even know if you can.”

“Come on, we’ve always helped each other in the past. Is it about Blake again? The White Fang? Whatever it is, we can-”

“It’s not about them…” Adam pushed himself away from the railing.

Turning his back to Zanthus, he ran a hand through his hair, careful to avoid the tender spots where he had been yanking before. 

“I’m just… confused, and scared, a-and  _ you  _ being here isn’t helping.”

“Me? What’d you mean by that?” Zanthus inquired, sounding somewhat offended by how Adam phrased it.

“I didn’t mean it like that.” He quickly backtracked. 

The anxiety worsened, like Adam was being backed against a wall. No way out. No way around. He had to confront the problem head on, but he didn’t know if he could.

“Well? What did you mean, then?” At least he didn’t seem so offended anymore. 

“I…” the horned Faunus trailed off somewhat, unable to even meet Zanthus in the eyes when he managed to continue. “I like to think of you as… as a friend. A good friend, even. Ever since we met, I found that, with you, I could be me. That maybe you could be the friend I needed.”

The confession stopped Zanthus in his tracks. 

As he stood there, Adam slowly started to find the courage to finally be honest with him. With himself. 

“I wasn’t a good person, I know that. You had every right to be angry with me for what I did. Honestly, some of the anger I felt was probably because, deep down, I didn’t want to be alone again.” He inhaled deeply. “I pushed you away, and that has always been one of my regrets. Now, after all you’ve done for me, I… I’ve started thinking that, maybe, you’re more than that. A friend.”

Finally, it started to dawn on Zanthus. His face completely blanked, just staring at Adam while he processed what was being said, though the silence meant it was easier for Adam to get it all out.

With a nervous laugh, he continued. “I have never really felt this way. To  _ anyone.  _ But, just then with you, I felt something that I knew wasn’t just friendship. I think… I  _ hope  _ that you, maybe, feel something back?”

“I…” The way Zanthus replied filled Adam with dread. 

Fearing the worst, he let his friend come out and say it, preparing himself for the worst. “I admit that I might have felt the same way for a while.”

“What? Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because it never felt like the right time.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “You were grieving, and then there was the fact that the White Fang was still around, on top of the issues with my mother… I wanted you to be okay before dumping all this on you.”

“Well, I’m okay now.”

“In that case…” Zanthus approached Adam deliberately slow. 

It was a heart racing experience. It was saying a lot, given that Adam had been through situations where it was life or death, staring danger straight in the face, and the fact that something as simple as a confession left him as breathless was surprising.

With that same smile as before, Zanthus didn’t waste time in exchanging any more words.

Adam had never even held someone’s hand in a romantic way. A kiss was completely out of the question, so when he felt Zanthus’ lips brush against his, it was like electricity running straight through his body. 

A small but simple gesture, it was over in a second. But to Adam, it felt like an eternity. 

When Zanthus pulled away, he found himself chasing after the warmth, stopping his urge quickly as he stared down at the other teen. From the way his face scrunched up in embarrassment, practically red from head to toe, it was an adorable sight indeed. 

As he opened his eyes, Adam was the first to speak. “So, what exactly is this?”

“I think we can figure that out along the way, can’t we?” 

Adam laughed at that. “I like the idea of that.”

From the way Zanthus laughed back, he agreed with the idea. 

Slowly, the two turned to look at the stars together, enjoying the silence between them with the sound of the dance happening just behind them. It didn’t matter what happened at that moment. To Adam, he had found something he never knew he wanted; that one person to stand by him and accept his heart no matter how damaged it was. 

“You know,” he started. “When we ran into each other back in the Emerald Forest, deep down… a part of me was glad it was you.”

“Really? ‘Cause I remember you being really crabby the whole way through.”

“I was a little shit with my emotions. Next time, I’ll make sure to let you know how much I appreciate you.”

Zanthus grimaced at that. “Please don’t. It’d just be too weird coming from you.”

The amused smirk Adam gave washed away any conflicting emotions at the moment. 

Suddenly, Zanthus pulled away a bit, looking up at the other as he admitted. “We never got to finish that dance.”

“You know what, we haven’t.”

“We could try again? Away from everyone.” Zanthus was quick to add. “Your choice.”

Without hesitation, Adam grabbed hold of the other’s hand tightly, guiding him close as they swayed around in sync, following the other without skipping a beat.

“For you, I’ll give it a go.”

Together, they simply enjoyed the other’s company, unaware that they were being watched closely by someone lurking by the doors. 

As Eirian watched over them, she couldn’t help but smile at the heartwarming scene before her. She had worried that Zanthus would keep his true feelings locked away, never letting them free in fear of burdening Adam, and now that it was all in the open, she could see that the weight had left her close friend light and carefree once more. 

Turning around to look over the students down below, she was pleasantly surprised to see that Ruri had finally made an appearance, and she wasn’t alone. 

While Aurora quickly ran to Chase, who had reappeared from wherever he had vanished to, Roxanne remained by the other girl’s side. What they said before about the dress did little justice. A flowing red dress with many layers over it, adorned with sewn flower decals that ran along the hem of each ruffled layer.

Her shoulders bare, she had a choker on with a deep red gem set into it, the jewel twinkling in the light. 

When she turned to Ruri, whatever words that were exchanged were lost over the thunderous roar of music and footsteps. Whatever it was, Ruri seemed ecstatic to accept. 

Hand in hand, the two students moved onto the dancefloor, losing themselves in the fun and games while the world moved on outside their Academy. 

Everyone was enjoying themselves. Even Ozpin, confined to his seat with exhaustion crippling him, was joined by the other headmasters, all of them offering comfort to the man in his time of need. While Eliana took the free seat next to him, James kept close by, making sure that his friend had everything he needed.

Though, from the look of things, Headmistress Jin of Haven seemed especially concerned for her friend. Whatever had infected Ozpin must have been serious, and it only made Eirian worry more for her headmaster.

But tonight was not the night. For now, she would enjoy the peace given to her, and watch as Ruri danced the night away with Roxanne. 

There was no jealousy in her heart when she watched her friends move on to something more. Out there, she knew her one true soulmate was waiting, ready to show when the time was right.

She just had to keep looking. 


	33. Wild Goose Chase

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They have their plan. Search through Vacuo, and pick up whatever they could find that would lead them to Sable. As teams joined together, and new partnerships were made, Zanthus and Roxanne leave to search around. There, they discover some of the history of the young city, and start to uncover something that might change their perspective of the peace they have long taken for granted. 
> 
> Meanwhile, Ruri and Niccolo bend the rules to find what they need, but as they run into someone unknown, they soon find out that looks can be even pure evil can have the face of a normal man.

When the group agreed on getting up early, Zanthus didn’t realise just _how_ early.

The streets were still being lit by the streets lights by the time the group had wandered out of Shade. As he glanced around, he noticed that, surprisingly, there were people walking around them at the base of the mountain. Some were pulling carts, others setting up the small stalls that were found outside of Hotep Palazar. He even saw a few children helping their parents with stocking the stalls. 

As Roxanne led the group beside him, she paused with a hand on her hip. “Now, it’d be easier and more efficient if we split up in pairs and look in certain areas.”

“So, let’s pick a buddy.” Chase joked. “I pick lil’ sunshine.”

Eirian beamed beside him. 

“Alright… I’ll take Zanthus.” Zanthus’ ears perked at that, his attention turning to Roxanne as he found her addressing him directly. “We’ll take Hotep Palazar. Given how much traffic passes through there a day, we’ll surely find something there.”

He nodded at that. “And the rest of you guys? Where’re youse going?”

“Sunshine and I can hit the temples. If Ankhesenamun hasn’t heard anything, someone there will’ve.”

“Oh, I’ve really wanted to see the temples since we got here!” Eirian squealed, hopping up and down with excitement clear on her face.

That couldn’t be said for the others. Niccolo was practically sleeping against Mauve’s strong body, the girl not even budging from the weight leaning against her. Beside them, Adam and Ruri looked just as exhausted, the deaf girl nearly falling asleep right where she stood before her friend gently nudged her back awake. 

“I can take Niccolo.” Mauve offered. “If he wants?”

Jolting awake, Niccolo rubbed his unburned eye and murmured. “I can go with Ruri.”

The girl in question curiously looked over at him, her eyes open and alert now that she had been assigned a new partner. While she politely greeted her new partner, Adam stood beside her, and from the growing scowl on his face, Zanthus knew that it was the last person he would ever want to be partnered with. 

Yet, when Ruri moved to stand by Niccolo, and Mauve remained where she was, it was Adam that made the first step. 

“I can take Mauve, then.” He accepted, though he didn’t make any eye contact with her as he continued. “We can take around Wadjet Oasis. Plenty of foot traffic there, especially from outside the kingdom.”

“A permanent water source tends to draw parched people.” Mauve added.

There, Ruri signed tiredly. “ _Niccolo and I will check around the gates leading into the city._ ”

“Given that’s where people have to come through to get into the city… it makes sense.” Niccolo added in a soft voice. 

“Right,” Roxanne brought everyone’s attention back to her. “It’s sorted. With what Zanthus filled us in on, we should know what we’re looking for. We’ll reconvene back here before sundown with whatever we found.”

“Copy that.” Chase smirked, giving a casual sign off gesture before spinning around on his heel.

As he walked off, Eirian gave chase. It was an amusing sight, seeing the short girl having to practically sprint to catch up with her friend, his longer legs giving him the advantage in the pair. Still, she didn’t seem to mind the run, staring up to Chase with that same grin on her face, even when their words were lost on the others.

There, the pairs split up. 

Before Zanthus could follow after Roxanne, however, he felt someone hold onto his hand. There, he turned around and noticed who it was. Adam. 

Even with the neutral expression on his face, the small details were enough for Zanthus to pick up on. The slight curving of his eyebrows, how his eye fell down to the floor for just a moment, like he was going through hundreds of thoughts at that one moment. 

Without a word, he gave the hand a comforting squeeze and turned to leave. Adam didn’t keep him there. Rather, he let Zanthus go, turning to leave for the oasis with Mauve in tow.

Hopefully, he would behave enough to get something done with the Atlesian girl. 

As the sun started to peek over the horizon, the skies above were a mix of beautiful colours. Greens, yellows, blues, Zanthus looked up and watched the last colours of night fading away to light. Even the moon started to disappear from sight, pushed away as the rays of the sun lit up everything around him. 

One by one, the street lights turned off. Every street sat in the dawn light, the people starting to leave their homes when it was bright enough to do so. It was almost ethereal as the two students walked down the streets. 

Soon enough, the familiar sights of Hotep Palazar was in front of them. 

It was certainly a different atmosphere compared to when they visited in the afternoon. Hardly anyone was around save for the merchants, Faunus and humans together setting up their stocks while a few children ran around the palazar with toy swords in hand. 

As they passed Roxanne, Zanthus couldn’t help but smile at the cute scene. They looked so carefree, enjoying what peace they could find while their parents busied themselves with work. 

They didn’t remain for long. Sure enough, in the confusing maze of streets and stalls, the children vanished without a trace, leaving Zanthus to follow after his partner as she walked out into the open area inside the palazar. 

While the snake water fountain remained, the trickling of water reaching his sensitive ears, something else caught his attention. Off to the side, stretching across the entire width of the huge area, there was a wall carved with intricate details. When he approached it, the details became more apparent. 

They showed various scenarios in its worn stone face. So much history etched into the wall, he trailed a hand over one of the carvings, feeling the imperfections and scars under his palm. 

From behind him, he heard Roxanne pipe up. “I see you found the Wall of Memories?”

“That’s what this thing is?” He pointed at it, watching her nod in response before turning back to it. “I never thought there’d be so much history shoved in such a short amount of time.”

“We’ve had a hard life when Isidis City was first made.” Roxanne explained softly, walking up to his side. “So many people from so many walks of life, every one deciding that they were fit to rule. Mama brought them all together, but that didn’t mean it was all willingly. The first few years saw so many revolts, so much blood needlessly spilt…”

“I heard about that in Professor Oobleck’s class. The first few years, people now call them the Nights of Tears, because of all the lives lost over senseless fighting.”

“Some don’t see it as senseless, though. To them, it was the only way to hold onto the old ways, not knowing that it was those same old ways holding them back.” Roxanne adopted an angrier expression at that. “They were allowed their beliefs, their cultures, everything. But because they would have to answer to one person in charge, they decided it wasn’t good enough.”

“I mean, it all smoothed out in the end, right?”

Silver eyes focused on him at that. They were sharp, peering straight into his own while he looked away nervously. 

Finally, she answered his question. “The fighting stopped, but animosity still remains. Every day is one that we fear the revolts will spark up again. So, we keep this wall up to remind everyone of what could very likely return if we don’t work together.”

“So, what about the tribes outside of the city? How do you guys deal with them?”

“We don’t. The tribes are outside our laws, and only have to follow the city’s laws for however long they’re here for.” She shrugged. “They bring plenty of commerce from parts of the kingdom that we don’t have here. The Kom Ombo Jungle up north grows plenty of fruit and herbs that we can’t in the desert, so many tribes travel from the city there to here to trade them.”

“The city?”

“Khenti-Amentiu. The oldest city of Vacuo, it existed long before Isidis City did, and one of the few that haven’t been destroyed by Grimm or the effects of Atlas’ occupation of Vacuo.” 

“Could one of the tribes doing the trade be the Leib Tribe?” He suddenly asked.

Roxanne fell silent at that. Watching Zanthus closely, she was clearly thinking her answer through, trying to be as comforting as she could while honest as well. “I don’t know. The Leib Tribe occupies Samson’s Valley, and that’s on the other side of the kingdom. The distance alone would deter most merchants, not counting in the dangers from Grimm and wildlife that live in the desert.”

He wouldn’t lie, that did put a damper on his drive.

However, she quickly added in a more chipper tone. “That doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Besides, you said your mother might not even be with them? Chances are she could’ve come here on her own.”

“Maybe, but… deep down, I’m scared that all this effort you guys are putting in will be for nothing. She could not even be in Vacuo for all I know.”

“You’re right.” That didn’t help Zanthus’ rotten mood. “She could be in Mistral, Vale, even in Menagerie or some of the smaller colonies. All our work here could very much be for nothing.”

Gently, he felt her hand on his shoulder. As he turned to her, he saw that small smile on her face, the kindness shining in her eyes as she finished. “But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. Which would you rather do? Work hard and find out for sure, even if it means your work will be wasted, or do nothing and never know?”

“I… guess I would want to know for sure.”

“Exactly. No one will hold it against you if our search ends up with nothing. We’re here because we want to help, after all.”

He had to admit, the pep talk did help dispel some of the worry gnawing at his stomach. It was like some of the weight was lifted, his friends helping him hold it up rather than leaving him to bear it alone, and it was almost liberating how light it made him feel. 

Determination coming back in force, he accepted Roxanne’s wise words and decided to try and do this with everything he had. 

Before he turned to start the search, however, he noticed something. Letters pinned to the wall. Scattered across some of the surface, he plucked one and scanned over the words, surprised to find a picture staring back at him. 

When he looked at the rest, he realised that all the photos on them were of different people. “What’s all this?”

“Missing posters.” Roxanne adopted a saddened tone. “Some of these have been up for years, but the people who put them there refuse to give up hope. People go missing all the time, either they went outside the city walls and never returned, or they’d been picked up by the criminals that work in the underground here.”

“A lot of these look new.”

“I don’t know much. Mama never talked to me about them, but it seems that there’s been an increase of disappearances lately.” She confessed. “A lot have been taken right under our noses.”

“Has there been anything to lead the Huntsmen?” 

She shook her head. “Nothing. The people taken, and where, are completely random. We can’t even pin down suspects. Nothing much I can tell you besides that, anyway. The entire investigation is top secret. Only Mama and her most trusted Huntsmen are involved in it.”

“I hope they manage to get somewhere with it.” 

“Don’t worry. They’ll be able to fix it somehow.” Roxanne smiled, turning away from the wall with their task clearly on her mind. “Come on. We got a lot of ground to cover, and not much time to do it in.”

That was a point. Zanthus agreed, but something kept him at the wall. 

As he stared at all the photos that stared back, he couldn’t help but wonder. Who were they? What stories could they have told if they were there? But more importantly, what happened to all of them?

There was little time to muse over it. With Roxanne helping, he left the wall alone and turned his attention to the immense task at hand. 

Hotep Palazar, in all of its glory, was a _huge_ place, even more so when one was trying to find something in the sea of merchants, travellers and civilians trying to buy things. Thankfully, Roxanne was taller than Zanthus was himself, so she wasn’t hard to find in the chaos that was all around them. 

It didn’t take long for the palazar to really become packed. So packed in fact, that it was difficult for someone to even turn around without bumping into another person. Cramped, loud, and grating for the poor Faunus trapped in it all.

What’s more, the merchants that weren't just trying to peddle their wares had no idea about the person the students were searching for. Every time, they were met with uncertainty, confusion, or indifference, though some were nicer about their lack of an answer than others. It was something at least, even if the disappointment was crushing for the blonde. 

The sun soon hovered high above them. The immense heat staved off by the air conditioners scattered across the palazar, keeping everyone comfortably cooled while they took a break. 

As Roxanne and Zanthus wandered through one of the lesser packed streets of the palazar, he took a moment to look around. Even with many shopping on the high street, there were still plenty that had wandered through the smaller parts of the palazar, taking a moment to look at what was on offer around them. 

Surprisingly, he paused when he noticed a familiar face in the crowds. 

As he tapped on Roxanne’s shoulder, he pointed out the person to her with a quiet voice. “We ran into him when we first came to Vacuo. Y’know… after your brother kidnapped Adam.”

“You think he could help?” She completely ignored the jab at her missing twin.

“I dunno. He seemed to know more about my tribe than anyone else we’ve asked.” He revealed. “We might as well try.”

She seemed to agree with that. Turning her attention back to the man, she took the lead, approaching him without any fault in her step. That confidence wasn’t copied perfectly by Zanthus, who’s nervousness practically bled into every step he took. 

When they got closer, and they saw worry and fear on the fruit merchant’s face, Zanthus felt his anxiety worsen.

He didn’t even notice them approaching, still begging the merchant by a stall adorned with various rugs woven with different patterns and colours. “Please, I need to know if you’ve seen anything.”

“I’m sorry, Abram.” The merchant gently denied. “He was here with me last night, and then he told me he was going back home to give his wife the herbs needed for dinner.”

“Yishaq never made it home. We’ve been searching all day, but no one’s seen him!”

“What’s wrong?” Zanthus immediately joined in.

Abram turned to the sound of the voice. When he spotted Zanthus and Roxanne approaching him, his worn face had that spark of hope, it seeping into his voice when he questioned the students thoroughly. “You two are from Shade, yes? Did Yishaq go up there? Could _manhig_ have seen him for some reports?”

“Who?”

“Yishaq?” That name must’ve meant something to Roxanne by the shock in her voice alone. “I didn’t even know he was back from a mission.”

Abram nodded. “He came back yesterday morning. Said hello to the family, and then left to help Abbas with tending his stall.”

Abbas, an older man than even Abram, sat down on a small stool by his stall, holding onto his cane like he would crumble without it.

“Running a stall is getting harder at my age,” he explained. “Yishaq would always come to help, even when he was studying up at Shade Academy. I hope nothing terrible has befallen him.”

“Another missing person…” Zanthus mumbled to himself. 

Something wasn’t right.

“I haven’t heard anything about it, but we’re actually looking for someone as well.” Roxanne confessed. 

That caught the old men’s attention. “Have either of you perhaps seen a woman around here? She looked like my friend here, with black hair and a tail. Most likely wearing a blue head covering like him.”

Sharp eyes focused solely on him. Taking in every detail about him, along with the information Roxanne had given them, they thought long and hard on it. Deep down, he wished he knew what was going through their heads. Standing there while people stared at you for extended periods of time was awkward.

Finally, Abbas was the one to speak. “Many of the women here match your description, but Leib tribesmen have a distinct symbol on their robes. I think I saw a few here the other day.”

“Really?” Zanthus’ excitement started getting the better of him at the mere mention of his tribe. 

“I don’t think any matched your description perfectly, and they left as soon as they could. I overheard the leader asking around for medicine and herbs that they couldn’t get in Samson’s Valley.” Abbas stroked his short beard in thought. “Had a member who was seriously hurt. Needed the herbs and medicine to help bring back her strength.”

“But none was your mother…” Roxanne sighed in disappointment. “Looks like we’ll have to keep looking.”

Zanthus nodded at that. However, before they left, he gave some last words to Abram. “If we find anything about your son, we’ll make sure to let you know.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much, my son.” Abram replied gratefully. 

With the promise hanging over them, the students left the old men alone as they walked off. It wasn’t until there was enough space between them and the worried father that Roxanne turned back to face Zanthus fully, showing the worry that was clear as day on her face.

“This isn’t right.” She murmured. “Yishaq was a Huntsman. The people that were being taken before were just civilians, merchants, even a few travellers coming in from outside the city…”

“What’re you thinking?”

“I’m thinking that something’s just over the horizon. Something that none of us are prepared to deal with.” She put her hands on her hips. “Mama must know something about this. I need to go and talk to her immediately, if it’s alright.”

Zanthus raised an eyebrow at that. “You’re asking for my permission?”

“This is your mission. I can’t just up and leave if you don’t think you can do it by yourself.”

That was a good point. Even with the couple of weeks that Zanthus had spent in Vacuo and her capital city, he knew he was far from able to prowl the streets by himself, at least without the very real danger of getting completely lost. Whether he wanted to admit or not, Roxanne was practically his guide in this confusing maze of a city. 

Yet, he didn’t want to delay important information from getting to Eliana. So, he compromised. “We can check up on the merchants that my tribe talked to, see if they know anything more than Abbas and Abram, and then we can head straight to Headmistress Eliana with this.”

Thankfully, Roxanne seemed to accept those terms. “Alright. Our best bet is Kedushah Medicines. They’re the most prolific here in the Palazar, so if your kin needed medicine for a serious problem, they would be the most likely place to pick.”

“Alright. Lead the way.”

Sure enough, when Roxanne led him to Kedushah Medicines, it was nothing like what he expected. 

Rather than the large wooden stalls draped in colourful fabrics and hidden in the palazar itself, the medicine store was a giant building that one of the main streets led up to. Out in the open under the sun, it provided much needed shade for those wandering around, with tall limestone walls and windows with coloured glass.

Even when they entered through the imposing double doors, the inside were still as mesmerizing as the outside. Even more so in Zanthus’ opinion.

With no floors to obscure the view of the sheer scale of the building, the walls were lined with bookcases that towered high above them, absolutely filled to the brim with books and tomes that drifted away, floating across thin air to wherever they had to go. While some simply floated from one spot to the next, a few flew by the students, missing them by inches while they wandered around in awe. 

It wasn’t just books. All around them, clear glass cases full of amulets, talisman, herbs and bottles of liquid, all lined up neatly side by side. Zanthus paused when he saw something familiar lined up amongst all the other amulets.

A small token, the thin cord connected to it lying above, he looked over the small object with intrigue. Black stone carved into the symbol of a cat. Its tail curled up behind it, the top half took the form of a hooked staff, similar to what shepards used to guide their sheep. 

“Whatcha lookin’ at?” Roxanne suddenly appeared beside him. 

“Just this.” He pointed at the amulet in question. “I recognise it, that’s all. It’s the symbol of the Leib tribe, but… why is it here?”

Before Roxanne could answer, a feminine voice called out. 

“Can I help you?”

The poor students practically jumped out of their skins. Both spun around, seeing a woman approaching them casually. 

She seemed young. Younger than Zanthus and Roxanne even, with skin almost a burnt sienna tone and her hair hidden away in a tight, pink head scarf wrapped around, pinned in place with a brooch that shone a beautiful ruby colour. Long, coral robes draped down to the ground, hands that were previously hidden in the long sleeves appearing when she raised them.

Clasping them together, she carried on politely when the teens in front of her said nothing. “Do you require medicine or…?”

“Uh, sorry. We were just walking through and hoping you could help us with something?” Roxanne asked.

Black eyes shone at that, the girl turning to the books that floated by as she plucked one from the air, flicking through the pages with new found enthusiasm. “Sure! What is it? Dust Lung, Rockjoint, Sand Rash? Anything troubling you won’t be a problem for me to fix!”

“You seem… enthusiastic.” Zanthus slowly pointed out. 

“Why wouldn’t I be? You guys have your Academy, I have my books and medicine.” 

His ears perked at that. “You know we’re from the Academy?” 

“Of course, you guys are dressed like you’re ready for a fight.”

She wasn’t exactly wrong. Even though they didn’t expect any trouble, both Roxanne and Zanthus were fully kitted in their combat gear, their weapons weighing heavily on their limbs as they looked bashfully at each other. 

“We’re not here for medicine, Miss Hawrā.” Roxanne corrected. “We heard that some tribesmen from the Leib Tribe came here a few days ago for medicine?”

“Oh, yes. They were very friendly all things considering.” The girl hummed. “You can just call me Afra. Miss Hawrā makes me sound like my mother.”

Zanthus joined in eagerly. “Was any of them a woman who looked like me? Black tail, blue head covering, pretty antisocial?”

“The only women with them had white head coverings, and none of them had tails.” 

What hope he held onto started to vanish upon hearing that. Ears falling flat against his head, the sheer deejection he must’ve shown pulled at Afra’s heart, her smile turning sadder when she added. “I do know that they needed the medicine for a girl in their tribe. From what they needed, she must’ve been badly hurt. Yarrow, Goldenrod, they even rinsed me out of honey, and it’s such a headache getting it outside of the ports.”

His attention was caught when he inquired further. “Did they say who it was?”

“Is it important? She’s probably not who we’re looking for.” Roxanne pointed out.

Silent, Zanthus glanced over at her. His mind ran through the information, something telling him that it would be important, but he didn’t know how. So, he kept it at the back of his mind for the time being. 

“Probably not.” He mused. 

“Other than those, it’s difficult for me to remember individual customers.” Afra paused for a moment, her fingers pinching the tip of her chin in thought. “Actually, do you have a name, by any chance?”

“Sable Leib. Why?” Zanthus asked.

With her answer, Afra suddenly turned around, rushing back to the counter sandwiched between two bookshelves. While she typed away on a computer, a book floated up from behind the counter. Pages flipped without anyone touching it as she busied herself.

“We take down names of every customer, just to keep track of any recurring prescriptions that they may have.” She explained. “Just gimme a sec…”

As Zanthus and Roxanne approached the counter, she typed away, humming to herself as she searched through no doubt countless names stored away in the computer. 

Slowly, his attention was brought to the book floating in midair. “What’s that for?”

“Mother is a bit traditional. We’ve had technology since before the Great War, and she still insists that ink and paper are as good as any computer.” Afra sighed irritably. “I have to check through since she sometimes forgets to put the names that she writes down into the computer as well.”

“Neat Semblance.” Roxanne complimented.

Afra smiled cheerfully at that, though she said nothing as something pinged on the computer. Eyes focusing on the bright screen, her eyebrows knitted together, the girl clicking her tongue in frustration. 

“Nope. No Sable in here.” She revealed sadly. “If she ever came here for anything, we would’ve taken down her details. Sorry.”

Something crossed Zanthus’ mind. “Wait… Is there a Sigal in there?”

“Sigal? Lemme see…” She typed in the name and searched through the information that lit up on the screen. “A pretty uncommon name, don’t you think?”

“It was my mother’s birth name. Before she changed it.”

Afra gave him a surprised look at that. Though she didn’t say anything, Zanthus found himself dwelling on it more than he would’ve thought. It was such a small thing. Just a name, and his mother didn’t really talk about it all that much. Vacuo was behind her, she wasn’t Sigal anymore.

And deep down, he knew it hurt her.

Suddenly, Afra’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. “Oh, here we are! Sigal Leib, and she was here pretty recently too!”

“She was really here?” Zanthus couldn’t stop his disbelief from seeping into his words.

“Recently. Is there any chance she could still be here?”

“Can’t answer that, I’m afraid. All I know is that she needed some Feverfew, complaining of a headache, and something to help with mild burns on the left thigh.” Afra read outloud, turning to the book levitating in front of her. “Mother likes to add some extra notes in here. Gimme a moment… Here.”

The book lowered into her hands as she carried on. “ _When questioned on the cause of the injuries, Sigal simply stated they were an accident. Any recurring prescription was denied, as she was leaving the city shortly._ ”

“Looks like we just missed her.” Roxanne noted.

“It doesn’t say where she could’ve gone, but I don’t think she could leave the kingdom in the time since she was here.” Afra added.

The female student hummed affirmatively at that. “Travelling the desert alone is not something I’d recommend. It’s dangerous enough even with a group.”

“That’s all you know?” Zanthus turned to the girl.

With a sad smile, she nodded. “Sorry. If she went through the trouble of changing her name back and keeping everything a secret, chances are she’s trying to cover her tracks.”

“Could someone be following her?” Roxanne asked. 

The dread that Zanthus felt worsened at that. He didn’t want to think about his mother in trouble, especially when the last time they tried to find someone a member of the team cared about, it didn’t end well. 

Grim, he muttered back. “She could’ve finally left my father. If he’s trying to chase her… it won’t end well.”

“All the more reason to try and find her first.”

That was something he could agree on. If there was any more reason to try and get to his mother, it was so that his father wouldn’t find her first. 

Before they’d leave with the new information, however, he took the chance and asked Afra one last thing. “There’s something else. Have you seen someone called Yishaq, by any chance?”

“Yishaq? He came by for his heart medicine before leaving on a mission about a week back.” She revealed cheerfully, though her smile faded when she saw how worried Zanthus and Roxanne looked. “Why? Has something happened?”

“He’s… missing. His father was looking for him just before. Apparently he left the stall last night, and then never made it home.”

Afra’s face fell at that. “Oh, no. I need to go and check on Ya’aqov and Esaw. They’ll be running themselves ragged looking for their dad.”

Neither of the students stopped her when the younger girl moved from behind the counter. Almost as if reacting to her negativity, the books all around them shuffled by, returning to their original places while she got ready to leave. 

Ushering the two out of the shop, she promptly locked the door and left the closed sign hanging. “Mother should return soon, but I very well can’t leave the shop unlocked for people to come in and take what they want.”

“Well, if you should learn anything else-”

She quickly cut Roxanne off. “Yes, I’ll let you and _manhig_ know if I find out anything. Now, I should really get going.”

With that, she practically took off down the crowded street, vanishing completely in seconds as Zanthus watched the sea of people swallow her whole. 

As the two stood there in complete silence, he thought back on what he had learned. A glimmer of hope beamed in his chest, Hope, and fear. Fear that, for all his efforts, they would fail again. Like with Blake. 

With a deep sigh, he pushed the worries away for now, and instead focused on the task at hand. “We should really take this to the headmistress. It’s too big to keep from her.”

“Yeah. Hopefully, she can use this and try to figure out what’s going on with the disappearances while we focus on finding your mother.”

Plan set, the two made their way back to where Shade Academy sat. As they walked, Zanthus found himself hoping that the others had as much luck as him.

Little did he know, Ruri was finding difficulty in getting anyone to just talk to her.

The frustration started to set in as she stood there. Practically steaming, her face was in a permanent scowl while the border patrol officers stood in front of her. Any signing she did fell on deaf ears, their attitudes certainly not helping when one of them spoke.

“Look, we don’t have time to stand around while you wave your hands around.” She glowered at that. “Plenty of people pass through these gates every day. There’s no way we can remember any individual one.”

“We just want to know if anyone from the Leib Tribe passed through here recently?” Niccolo asked politely.

One of the guards let out a tired sigh. “It’s been a long day, kid. If we need to find out information about someone, we’d need to go and check in our records, and we don’t do that just because a civilian asked us to.”

Records, huh?

Ruri didn’t let anything show as she pulled at Niccolo’s shirt. As he turned his attention to her, she signed. “ _Let’s go. We won’t find anything with these two_.”

“Right. Well, thanks for your help.”

The guards simply grunted at that, leaving the students alone as they returned to their patrols. 

Though Niccolo moved to carry on the search, Ruri suddenly stopped him, holding onto one of his suspenders until he stumbled back. As he glared back at her, she simply asked innocently. “ _Those records… Would they be in that building, by any chance?_ ”

“It’s the Office of Records… So, I suppose so?” He wrung his hands together as he added nervously. “What’re you planning?”

“ _I’m just saying. They won’t exactly notice someone checking things over, will they?_ ”

“Ruri, that’s _incredibly_ illegal.”

“ _Only if we get caught, which we won’t._ ” 

He groaned at that, rubbing his face with both hands. “Okay, and if we do? We’ll be charged with trespassing, and then whatever punishment the headmistress will throw at us.”

Ruri put her hands on her hips at that. The risk of punishment weighed on her mind, grilling her for even suggesting such a thing, especially after what happened last time they went and broke the law. 

This one time, however, she was willing to bend the rules for Zanthus. It was important.

Ignoring Niccolo’s protests, she made her way straight for the office. Either he joined her, or tried to find something in a less illegal way. Whatever he did, she trusted that he could handle himself, just as she trusted herself to be able to get the information needed for their mission. 

Surprisingly, he suddenly appeared by her side. Even with the anxious looking around, he swallowed down the fear that gripped him, showing bravery that actually impressed the deaf girl. 

“We do this quickly, then.” He muttered. “I don’t wanna be around when the border patrol officers come around this way.”

“ _Of course._ ”

It was a short walk to where said office was. Honestly, amongst the other buildings around it, Ruri would’ve missed it entirely if not for the fact that it was pointed out to her before. Not very official looking, in her opinion. 

Few people were around it, either avoiding it entirely, or going inside where the records were stored. Not too many places to hide away. 

Silently, she scanned around for anything to help get them inside. An unattended door, an open window, anything that she could use to slip inside and out without anyone noticing her. Yet, the Office of Records was a guarded place. Made sense. Even if it was incredibly annoying for the student.

Deep in thought, she didn’t even realise something was wrong until she was knocked backwards. Pain shot up her back when she landed on her behind, a grunt escaping her lips before she looked up in anger, scowling deeply until she saw a pair of amber eyes staring straight back at her. 

Everything froze. 

She didn’t know why. The person in front of her was no different than anyone else. Dressed in casual clothes, their face was obscured by a deep crimson head scarf, shrouded in shadows, and yet those eyes practically glowed from the darkness. 

When the person spoke, the voice was not what Ruri imagined. It was feminine and soft, like a mother scolding her child, even when the words themselves sent a chill up her spine. “Be careful. You might find someone not as nice as me.”

“S-Sorry. We just weren't paying attention.” Niccolo stammered back, quick to pick Ruri up and lead her away before the situation could escalate. 

As she peered over her shoulder, she noticed the person watching them leave, only to disappear in people that wandered past.

Whoever she was, the chill she left on Ruri was like she was touched by Death itself. 

There was no time to focus on it. Sure enough, when they reached the office, Ruri had to pull herself away from the feeling that had washed over her, forcing herself to focus on the task at hand. 

No open doors or windows, something she expected but no less grew frustrated. Patrolling around, the two tried to look like they belonged there, appearing as just young kids to any guards that passed by. Even if their clothing raised a few eyebrows, it was nothing serious enough to receive more than a questioning glance. 

Scanning everywhere, she paused when something caught her eye. An open vent in the side of the building, the covering pulled out as someone worked on the conditioner nearby. 

Wedged between two buildings, the small street they were on was all but abandoned, with guards only coming through occasionally. A simple enough job for her. 

Silently, she gestured to Niccolo to follow her. The pair snuck closer to the wall, managing to hide from the view of the engineer as he worked away on the giant conditioning unit, completely oblivious to anything happening around him. With one eye on him, she grabbed hold of the rim fittings that span around the entire building. 

There, she felt Niccolo putting his hands under her feet, hoisting her up over his head. Fingers dug into the brickwork, finding any nook and cranny that she could to gain any purchase, pulling her body along as she scurried up to where the hole in the wall was.

Like a mouse, she slipped right inside. 

Cramped, hot, it was almost unbearable. She could feel herself boiling alive before she could even move.

As sweat dripped down the side of her face, she crawled through the small space, trying not to make too much noise as she moved along. The heat was horrendous. On top of that, the sweat that dripped down irritated the skin around her hearing aid. A small itch, it just grew and grew while she tried to ignore it.

Sneaking through some of the grates that dropped down into separate rooms, she paused as she peered through a certain one. 

Even with the slats obscuring her vision, she could see some of the cabinets piled up. The glow from the computers lighting up everything around it. She listened. Over the hum of the fan and the sound of the monitors crackling, she listened as someone typed away on the computer. 

Dammit.

As she sat there, mulling over what she could do to distract the officer by the computer, she flinched when the door swung open. 

Although she couldn’t see them, the annoyance in the newcomer’s voice was impossible to miss. “Hey, Shani, can you help us with something?”

“What’s up?”

“Some kid just came into the office. I dunno what he wants, but apparently he wants to check some records for a school project and won’t take no for an answer.”

“And you can’t get rid of him?”

“Not when I’m being paid 5.20 an hour.” He shot back. “Come on, employee of the month.”

Shani growled at that. “You get it _one time._ ”

As she shoved away from her chair, the poor thing nearly fell over from the force. Ruri stayed silent, watching as she left the room with her co-worker in tow, making sure that the footsteps faded away enough that she could come out of her hiding spot.

Quickly, she pushed down on the vent covering, feeling it swing down on a hinge as the opening cleared the way for her. 

As silent as she could, she dropped down onto the floor several feet below. It wasn’t a particularly harsh drop. Still, her legs ached as she stood back up, rubbing her upper thigh gingerly while she approached the computers lined up on a desk against the wall. 

Thankfully, Shani left it unlocked in her haste. There was no time to waste.

Typing away, she searched through every file she could find, trying to find any names in the records that matched the one she was looking for. Each time, she was met with disappointment, feeling the frustration grow as she looked over her shoulder constantly. Time was running out, and she was getting nowhere. 

Suddenly, something caught her attention. _Miryam Leib. Aharon Leib. Jochebed Leib._

That was it. No Sable. 

Disappointment was crushing. She couldn’t help but doubt her decision, wondering what she could do now that the records came up with nothing. They came and left before Zanthus and his team even came to Vacuo. 

Just as she was about to close everything down and leave, something else caught her attention. A message, left opened by Shani before she left, and from the looks of it… something told her it was important. 

Before her brain could stop her, she opened the email and looked at the contents. There, she was shocked at what she was reading, but more importantly at the photograph attached to it. 

_A warning to all border patrol._

_Headmistress Eliana has issued an detain on sight order on these criminals, for the crimes of human trafficking and kidnapping. They are extremely dangerous, so proceed with caution._

While two of the three criminals listed were no one that Ruri recognised, the third one immediately gripped her in fear. 

A woman, with tanned skin and fiery red hair that fell in curls around her shoulders, she seemed so ordinary, like someone you would pass in the street, but something about her reached out to Ruri. Those eyes. Golden. Sharp, with her gaze alone putting the shivers up her spine. She knew where they were from. 

Time wouldn’t let her mull it over. From behind her, familiar voices reached her ears.

“You seriously dragged me out here for a kid that wasn’t even that hard to get rid of?”

“Hey, he was way more trouble with me. I just think you scare kids.”

“Shut it. I gotta get these reports done before the end of my shift, or I’m getting my ear chewed off by our manager.”

Time to go.

Rushing back to the open vent, Ruri grimaced at just high up it was. Come on, this was what you were trained for, she tried to hype herself up. 

Legs bent, she felt the force of her Semblance lift her light body off the ground, immediately grabbing the edge of the vent passageway as she hoisted herself up. Quickly, she closed the vent cover once more. Just in time. 

Right afterwards, Shani and her coworker appeared once more.

“What the?” She looked at some of the papers that had flown off the desk when Ruri used her Semblance. “Dammit. Is the fan on the blitz again?”

She smacked the fan multiple times while the other officer joked. “Maybe it’s just how crappy your stuff is?”

Ruri left just as Shani threw the fan at him. 

Thankfully, she managed to scurry out of the vent quickly, dropping down onto the ground below with Niccolo waiting nearby. Dust that blew up when she landed, she coughed quietly, waving it away from her face when she noticed her friend approaching her gingerly. 

“So?” He started. “Did you find anything?”

“ _If Sable came into the city, she didn’t do it legally. No recording of her name anywhere._ ”

He deflated at that. “Damn.”

“ _That’s not all._ ” Ruri seemed more serious for a moment, taking Niccolo’s hand as they started walking down the street again. “ _We have to go to the headmistress._ ”

“The headmistress? Why?”

Ruri grimaced even more. In the crowds around her, she could feel the fear gripping her, the paranoia that she could just turn around, and the woman from before would be there. Those eyes burned in the back of her mind. 

Looking back, she feared that they weren't annoyed. They were assessing her. Weighing her up against how much hassle it would be to just snatch her away. It was nerve wracking. 

“ _I think we just ran into one of the most wanted criminals in Vacuo._ ”


	34. Dead Ends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Zanthus and Ruri found critical information regarding their search, as well as the secrets behind the kingdom's doors, Adam and Eirian find themselves running into dead end after dead end. As they return to Eliana with word, they find that the Headmasters are nearly as clueless as they are, but one of the students amongst them knows far more about a war that they have no idea exists.

Wadjet Oasis. 

The entire reason for Shade’s existence. While the first thing any visitor arriving by airship would see, the mere sight was something to behold every time. Honestly, Adam didn’t know if he would ever get used to it, finding himself drawn to the waters despite his mind trying to force him to stay on track.

With life all around, the oasis sparkled in the sunlight. Pure white scattered across the surface, he could even see the bottom, watching the golden sand shift and float in the crystal clear water. 

As they took temporary shade under one of the date palm trees that grew all around the oasis, he took a moment to kneel right by the edge. The water was cold to the touch. Even with the sun practically boiling everything unfortunate enough to stand in its rays.

Splashing some on his face, he welcomed the refreshing sensation that washed over his flushed skin. Though, any relief he enjoyed vanished when Mauve spoke behind him. “At this rate, we’ll meet back up with nothing of worth.”

“I’ve already said we should split up.” He shot back angrily, getting back to his feet as he barged past her. “Not that you’d catch me complaining about looking around by myself.”

“You head out without someone who knows the layout, and we’ll never hear from you again.” Mauve scowled as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“I get that you Atlesians like to underestimate everyone not from your city, but we’ve lived just fine before you decided to butt your noses in where they didn’t belong.”

Her eyes narrowed at that. For a moment, he suspected a fight, feeling his instincts kick in as his hand twitched. One move, he’d have her in a second. 

Yet, she didn’t. For whatever reason beyond Adam’s comprehension, she just sighed quietly and calmly replied. “You don’t like me. I don’t like you. But we don’t need to like each other to get a job done. So, you can either stand there and insult me for being Atlesian until you’re blue in the face, but I suggest we put it aside for one day and just… try to work together.”

His scowl deepened at that. Even with her advice making sense, every fibre of his being  _ despised  _ the idea of working with her kind. It was the one thing he couldn’t stomach. Not after everything that happened.

But, this wasn’t about him. It was about Zanthus. For him, Adam would swallow back the venomous words and put up with the other student. For the time being. 

“Fine.”

Tense shoulders relaxed with that. Though she wasn’t pleased with the predicament, she didn’t let it show, instead adopting a stoic expression. “Good. The airship station’s conductor might not have seen anyone matching Sable’s description, but there might be someone else who has.”

“Who?”

“Captain François Vouivre. An old Atlesian captain, he stayed after the Atlesian occupation of Vacuo ceased several years after the Great War.” She explained. “He protected many of Vacuo’s ships when the rise of piracy came about after the war. Because of that, many people here accept him as one of their own, a rare thing for someone not from the kingdom.”

“And especially since he’s from the kingdom that forcibly occupied theirs.”

She seemed to agree with him on that. “Yes. He knows anything and anyone who comes into Vacuo by Dead Man’s Pass. So, if Sable didn’t come in by land or air, she must’ve by sea.”

Finally, she walked out of the shade of the tree, leaving Adam standing there as he dryly retorted.

“Of course Vacuo would have somewhere called  _ Dead Man’s Pass. _ ”

With that said, he slowly followed after her. 

Neither said much on the walk over to where the captain’s quarters were. While the city was firmly built in the desert, it luckily had a HQ connected to the docks that were built further south, sitting comfortably on the coast. However, it was a  _ long  _ walk, and when they finally reached their destination, Adam found his feet burning horribly. 

“Well,” Mauve piped up suddenly. “There it is.”

As he followed her gesture, he saw it for himself. The HQ was an impressive sight. 

Just like everywhere else, the walls were built from limestone and orange clay, with windows not even built with glass this time. As the sides were covered with hardy desert vines and palm trees that provided much needed shade for the people, the building itself was separated by towering walls, the few doors leading in watched by sailors waiting to be sent to sea once more. 

Thankfully, Mauve and Adam didn’t find much trouble as they walked through, their high tech weapons showing that they weren't just the average citizen wandering through. 

Once inside, Adam was surprised by how lively the place was. 

As sailors passed by them, chattering away as they ignored the students, Mauve led Adam through the main foyer. Light walls, dark floors, and lamps screwed in that bathed the inside with warm light, though having been turned off in the daytime, he looked around him nonchalantly. With the wide, glassless windows, the sunlight practically beamed in unhindered. 

Suddenly, he heard Mauve ask. “We’re looking for Captain Vouivre’s office.”

The man she asked, dressed in a simple white striped shirt and long pants, pointed in the direction with a cheerful, albeit heavily accented, voice. “Oh aye, ya follow the hallway over there down right to the end, and ya should see a big ol’ door with Captain on it. Cannae miss it.”

“Thanks.” 

Directions in mind, Adam took over, brushing past Mauve before the same sailor suddenly got his attention.

“Before ya go stormin’ in,” he warned. “I gotta tell ya. The captain is in a right mood today, so I wouldn’t go in with any attitude, ya know?”

“We’ll keep that in mind.” Adam nodded. 

Warning on board, the teens strolled down the hallway they were guided to. Sure enough, when they reached the end, the door they were told was right there. Old, worn, the palm wood was closed shut with the gold plaque nailed tightly into the door. 

_ Captain’s Quarters. _

“I see he hasn’t let his sailing days go.” Mauve noted.

Not saying anything, Adam simply knocked on the door twice. It echoed down the hallway. After that, silence. For one second, then another, then another, they stood there with confusion growing between them. 

Just as Adam went to knock again, a gruff voice shouted out. “I ain’t ‘bout to deal with no land loving, fruit eating, words before action diplomats today! Go ‘way before I open this door!”

“Captain Vouivre? We’re students from Shade Academy.” Mauve answered back politely. “We just want to have a short talk with you about something important?”

Nothing. The silence did little to lift Adam’s low spirits, his worry growing before the sound of a lock clicking reached his ears. 

Suddenly, the door wrenched open, and there stood Captain Francois Vouivre. 

The first word Adam would use to describe the man was…  _ old.  _ Wrinkled skin that had been tanned from decades on the water, he was completely bald on the top of his head, with only pure white hair that ran around the sides. His beard matched in colour, but looked properly trimmed, clean and primed that was befitting of someone that high a ranking. 

Even his captain clothes looked about eighty years out of date, something one would wear on an old Atlesian sailing boat than the high tech warships they had today.

His eyes were sharp, striking, with a green to yellow gradient that focused entirely on Adam and Mauve. 

“Well? What’d you kids want?” He demanded. 

“Is it possible to talk in your office? It’s private.” Mauve asked.

With an annoyed grunt, he moved from the door, letting the students wander in before shutting it behind him.

Now inside, Adam looked around to see that the office itself was so unlike the rest of the building. It actually looked like something taken straight off a ship. 

With Francois’ giant desk pushed at the back of the room, the wooden paneling and fish nets that hung about were eye catching, especially with the buoys and fake fish that were wrapped up in the netting. All around, he saw numerous paintings of historical events from days far gone, hanging above cupboards and cabinets that were chock full with papers and folders. 

Eyeing it, he overheard the office seat squeak as the captain sat down with a grunt. “So, what’s all this, then?”

“Well, me and my team are looking for someone. Mauve and her team are helping, but we’re running to a dead end.”

“Is it a merchant?”

“No.”

“A sailor?”

“No.”

“A pirate.”

“ _ No. _ ”

“Then what in the nine seas are ya bothering me for, then?” Francois snapped. “The Southern Shipping Company deals in trading ships and warfare on the waters. If whoever you’re looking for isn’t sellin’ something or rigging my ships, they’re not my problem.”

“She didn’t come into Vacuo by airship or on land, we just need to make sure she wasn’t on one of your voyages.” Mauve joined in.

“I got over five hundred ships to watch over. They come in, they go in my log book.”

“You don’t use a computer?” Adam stared back with a judgemental look.

“I’ve been around for over a hundred years, sailing for ninety of them. We didn’t need none of ya computers or scrolls back then, and I don’t need no virus havin’ hunk of metal shite in my company!” 

Adam and Mauve said nothing at that, sharing a mutual look between each other before Francois continued. “Anyway, there’s too many reports to shift for just one person. It’d take me days just to get through this month.”

“Had a computer, it’d take you five minutes.” Adam muttered back.

“Muttering leads to a tannin’, boy.” The captain warned. “Who’s this woman you’re lookin’ for, anyway?”

“A friend’s mother.”

“Lass up and left, huh? I feel for the poor soul. I saw mine last when I was just a boy.”

“She died?”

“No, she just hates the ocean.” He coughed. “By the Gods, even if she did die, they’d just send her back.”

Quickly, Adam pulled the conversation back to their predicament. “Is there any way you could check? We’ve exhausted pretty much every other option.”

“Look, boy. I ain’t just dealin’ with merchants who haven’t even so much as rigged a sail, I got pirates coasting through the Goldrush Sea down south. They’re a pain in me arse at the best of times.” He tried to explain. “The Pirate Queen keeps from Vacuo ships, but anything else is fair game. Not only that, but many criminals run to their main base in Isla Del Tesoro far south from here, and we can never get them back.”

“Criminals? Like who?”

“Smugglers, traffickers, the worst kinds. I got ‘bout fifty arrest warrants on my desk right now.” He lifted the huge stack as proof. “Ya seem like good kids, but it’s as simple as this. I ain’t got the time nor the energy to sit here and look for one person when fifty more need my attention.”

That knocked the wind out of Adam’s sails a bit. There was no one else, he had to help them. “But-”

“We appreciate you at least listening to us.” Mauve interrupted, earning an irate glare from Adam as she added. “The woman we’re looking for is Sable Leib. If you by chance hear anything about her, would you let us know?”

“Alright. I’ll try.” He conceded. 

She visibly loosened up at that. Grateful, she nodded and turned around to leave the room, addressing Adam directly. “Come on.”

Yet, he didn’t want to give up that easily. It felt like he hadn’t even tried at all. Before he could say anything, however, that same voice of reason stopped him, keeping his mouth shut while his anger bubbled deep in his gut. 

Scowling, he too left the room, though took the lead from Mauve as the two students left the building and walked back out onto the streets of the city.

As he paused, he turned with a sour tone to his voice. “Well, that was a waste of time.”

“Maybe not.” Mauve countered. “We didn’t learn anything by ourselves, but what the captain told us could be useful when we return to our teams. Who knows what they found out?”

Adam grunted at that. “Zanthus must’ve found something, and since there’s nothing left here, we should try to find him and Rox-”

Before he could even finish his sentence, his scroll pinged loudly. 

Confused, he fished it out of his pocket. A new message from Zanthus. “Speaking of him, it looks like he found something.”

Mauve’s interest was piqued at that. So was Adam’s, but when he opened the message and read it properly, he found his interest shifting over to worry.

_ We need to go to Headmistress Eliana. Something’s really wrong. _

“What is it?”

Glancing up from his scroll, he saw Mauve stand there with a raised eyebrow, having noticed his severe shift in expression upon seeing the message.

“Come on,” he started as he shoved the scroll in his pants’ pocket. “We gotta get back to the Academy.”

“Has something happened?”

“I dunno.” He confessed. “But I think we’ll find out once we get there.”

Together, they started making the long way back to Shade Academy, neither saying much to the other. Deep down, Adam found himself worrying more and more as time passed. He didn’t know what to expect. Did they find out something serious? What could possibly require the  _ headmistress’  _ attention? On top of that, would it put a damper on their search for Sable?

Whatever questions he had, he hoped that the others had answers.

On the other side of the city, much closer to Shade Academy, Eirian remained blissfully unaware of the dire situation that was looming just around the corner. 

So many temples in the district to see, so much  _ history  _ to be learned, there was nothing stopping her from running around and staring at polished urns and intricate tapestries that detailed religious events from thousands of years ago. She thought she knew everything about the Temple of Meresankh, but she was so happy to be wrong. 

“Look, look! The story of Eliana Hadar!” She jumped up and down as she pointed at a specific tapestry. “She was the leader of the Hadar Tribe, one of the mother tribes that Kokkinos and several others descended from! I read her story back in Beacon, she’s apparently one of the first recorded people who were one of the native races of Vacuo; the Nitzkhi!”

“You sure know a lot about this place.” Chase pointed out behind her.

“Don’t you? Your mother’s Nitzkhi, isn’t this your heritage?”

“Nope, I’m Vagabundo. My people came from the north plains.” He corrected. “Roxanne and I were taken in when we were twelve, after a sandstorm hit and we lost our parents.”

“Oh…” She was visibly saddened at the mention of his parents.

However, Chase simply patted her on the back with a smile. “No use getting down about it. We got other things that we gotta do first.”

With that, he turned back around to a woman standing near the centre of the temple. 

While there were several floors, each and every one had a large, circular area cut out, leading directly to the glass roof high above that was currently hidden by a metal shield just below it. With no sunlight in, the entire place was lit with lamps that shone a light blue colour. Everything that wasn’t illuminated by them was shrouded in shadows.

It was the same woman as the other day. As Eirian and Chase approached her again, the closer distance meant that she could see far more details than from afar, and the most striking detail of all were the eyes. 

Just like the night skies. A deep blue with flecks of yellow, like far away stars, and a pupil that was pale yellow rather than the usual black one would expect. 

Eirian found herself staring, completely zoning out as Chase asked. “Now, where were we?”

“You asked me about this girl you’re looking for.” Ankhesenamun answered with a smirk. “Another girl ran off on you?”

“None stay away for long.” He flirted back.

Now Eirian just felt awkward. Should she flirt back? Was that what they expected? People here were weird.

Thankfully, it seemed to move along as the priestess confessed. “I’ll be honest, it’s been a while since anyone from that part of Vacuo came to Isidis City, let alone the temples. Not many worship our kind of Gods.”

“Such a shame, they seem very nice.” Eirian piped in.

Ankhesenamun laughed softly at that. “Aren’t you a little cutie? I don’t think you introduced me to this one, Chase? New girl?”

“Not lil’ sunshine. This here’s Eirian, a Beacon student here for the Vytal Tournament.”

Eirian gave an enthusiastic wave. 

Suddenly, the other girl took a closer look, staring right at Eirian’s face as the latter stood there dumbfounded. “Your eye markings look familiar. Where’d you say you were from?”

“I didn’t, but it’s Vikela.” She quickly added on. “In Menagerie.”

“Vikela, huh? They look like markings from the Esna tribe back home in Khenti-Amentiu.” Ankhesenamun explained. 

Cheerfully, Eirian confessed with a grin. “Oh, that’s my name! I got it from my grandmother.”

“Funny, you don’t look like a Faunus.” She noted, seeming to not see the slight shift in Eirian’s expression while she carried on speaking. “Anyway, if she came here, I haven’t seen her. I could check around the other temples for you, especially since you’re not exactly welcome to most of them anymore.”

“They’ll get over it. They always do.” Chase joked back.

However, his friend was less amused. No longer joking around, she adopted a serious expression, her long wolf ears folding back slightly while she admonished him. “This is pretty serious. I’m always up for a bit of fun, but I have to take my work as a priestess seriously, especially since women don’t tend to work in this temple.”

“Huh? How come?” Eirian asked.

“In Isidis City, the sun and the moon are governed by different sexes. The sun is the symbol of  _ manhig,  _ the source of her power and proof of her divine right to lead, so it’s women that run the Temple of Khufu.” She looked back at Eirian to educate. “The moon is her opposite. He is the symbol of water, safety from the sun’s destructive fire, so the Temple of Meresankh is run by the High Priest.”

Confused, the Beacon student inquired further. “If it’s men who run this temple, why didn’t you pledge yourself to Khufu?” 

“Back home, it’s the opposite. We believe the chieftain is the sun, and since we were here long before Isidis City, we follow our own way.” Ankhesenamun paused. “I came to our sister city because I wanted to be in a place where I was just me. Not the chieftain’s daughter, just… Ankhesenamun.”

Though Eirian said nothing about that, she couldn’t help but look down at the missing arm, wondering deep down the story behind it.

Suddenly, the other woman piped up. “Caught ya.”

“Sorry! I didn’t mean to stare!” Eirian covered her eyes, flushed red with embarrassment.

Rather than get mad at her, Ankhesenamun simply laughed. “It’s alright. I stare at it too, sometimes. Lost it when I went to one of the neighbouring tribes for a ceremony that needed a priest’s presence. Grimm attacked during the night, and one bit it clean off.”

“Grimm can… do that?” She looked up at Chase.

With a frown, he nodded. “Some can, yeah. We don’t get many Ursa or Beowolves out in Vacuo, so we have to deal with Shamir, Behemoths, Ziz. That’s not even counting the wildlife that live here.”

“Poisonous snakes, scorpions, sand crabs.” Ankhesenamun added. “Though I’ve heard that the Golem Camels are going extinct. Not many have been seen in the wild for years.”

“Wouldn’t be going extinct if they didn’t taste so goddamn good.” She glared at Chase for that comment. 

“We were actually supposed to be on a mission?” Eirian tried to pull the conversation back. “If you find anything at all, could you let us know?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure I get any new info to you guys as soon as I can.” The promise did help lift some of the stress on Eirian’s mind. 

With a sigh of relief, she nodded, before turning to Chase. “Come on. We really should see if the others have had more luck than we have.”

“Here’s to hopin’.” Even the joking tone from his voice left. There, she could see that, deep down, he was just as disappointed as her, but that didn’t last long as he tried to keep positive.

Patting her on the back, they walked side by side as they left the temple. 

After growing accustomed to the dimly lit insides of the temple, however, Eirian squinted harshly when she stepped foot out into the sunlight. Crimson eyes burned horribly, her hand raised to at least give some shade for her poor sight. 

“So bright…”

Suddenly, something blocked some of her vision. Eyes in the shade, she stood there stunned, raising her hands to whatever was sitting on her head. Worn leather brushed against her fingertips. Slowly, she turned to Chase, finding that now his hat was missing, showing off his shaved black hair underneath. 

“There.” He patted her affectionately on the head. “Now the sun won’t go blindin’ ya. Keep it until we get back, alright?”

“Won’t you get the sun in your eyes?”

“I’ve been dealing with it for nineteen years. I think I can handle it.”

Clutching into it, she found it somewhat large for her head, keeping hold of it as they started to make their way back to the meetup point in front of the Academy. For all the way there, she entertained herself by skipping around, taking in the sights, smells, sounds of everything around her. It’d usually be overwhelming for someone, she grew used to chaotic cities back in Menagerie. 

Finally, the familiar sight of the Academy came into view. 

The shade was a welcomed thing. As soon as Eirian stepped foot underneath it, watching the sun disappear behind the towering building and its statue, she turned to Chase with her hands still on the hat. 

“Here.” She gingerly pulled it off, trying not to catch the horns on her headband before handing it back. “Thanks for lending me it.”

“Ain’t a problem.” He brushed off with a smile, accepting his hat back before glancing around. “Doesn’t seem like anyone else has come back yet.”

“How long do you think we gotta wait for?”

“Well, no one’s texted me yet. Looks like it’ll be a while.”

“Cool. That’s cool. I can wait.” Eirian replied cheerfully, sitting down by the wall as Chase leaned against it beside her. “Won’t be too long, anyway. They know what they’re doing. We’re just gonna sit here and see. Just… waiting.”

“Do you always mutter to yourself when doing nothing?”

“I hate waiting.” She leaned her head back against the wall as her feet tapped against the stone ground. 

“How ‘bout we play a game to pass the time?” He looked away when she gazed up at him and whistled. “I spy with my lil’ eye, something… green.”

“Tree.”

He chuckled. “Good guess. Your turn.”

“That’s not how you play the game.”

“It’s how we play  _ my  _ version of the game.”

Huffing, she looked around with lips pursed in thought. “I spy with my little eye, something… green.”

He looked around for a moment. “Tree.”

“Damn. Okay, your turn.”

“I spy with my lil’ eye, something… green.”

“Tree.”

“Maybe we’re not very good at this game.” The two students ended the game quickly. 

As time passed by slowly, they tried everything to keep their minds from wandering, and Eirian appreciated the distraction. It meant she wasn’t left alone with her worries. Deep down, she could feel her stomach flipping about anxiously, like it couldn’t sit still for even a moment. Nothing came up on their end, but that didn’t mean the others were just as unlucky?

Zanthus was capable, Ruri was smart, and Adam was determined. All of them could do it. More than she could, anyway.

She believed in them. She had to, not wanting to think about any situation that would cause her trust to falter. 

At least Chase was good company, though. While he had moments where silence fell over him, he’d usually keep the mood light with musical whistles, letting Eirian hum along with him since she couldn’t whistle properly. It always sounded like a whistle that had a pebble stuck in it. 

Suddenly, she spotted someone approaching the Academy. Fast.

As she stumbled to her feet, Chase was already gone from her side, walking towards an approaching Roxanne and Zanthus with any amusement gone from his voice. “What’s up? You guys find something?”

“Yeah, and it’s not good.” His twin replied grimly. “Didn’t you guys get our text?”

“I ain’t had no text.”

Eirian quickly fished hers out of her pocket. “I haven’t heard anythi- Oh, my scroll’s dead.”

Everyone glared at her for that. Standing there, she could only laugh nervously while rubbing the back of her head, her smile forced and pained as she hoped the others weren't too angry at her mistake. In her defense, she thought she had charged it that morning. 

Whatever lightheartedness she had vanished when she saw that both Roxanne and Zanthus were far from amused. 

With the way they shared looks between each other, she couldn’t help but ask outright. “What’s wrong? Did something come up?”

“Something did… We need to talk to the headmistress right away.” He pressed.

That didn’t help her anxiety. When Zanthus grabbed her hand and gently guided her into the Academy with Chase and Roxanne beside them, she looked over her shoulder, noticing Ruri and Niccolo running up the hill quickly. 

As soon as they spotted the group, they reunited with just as grim expressions as Zanthus and Roxanne. 

The female twin paused, turning to her friends with questions clearly on her mind. “You guys get the message?”

“ _ We did, and there’s something we need to tell you all. _ ”

“Okay, what the hell is going on?” Chase demanded.

Suddenly, another voice piped up. “That’s what we wanted to know.”

As they all turned around, the final members of the team approached them. Both Adam and Mauve looked even more serious than usual. In the former’s hand, Eirian spotted his scroll, and there she knew that he had gotten the same ominous text that everyone else had.

Before Roxanne could say anything, Zanthus was the one to speak. “Everything we learned today, and I mean  _ everything,  _ we’re gonna go up and tell Headmistress Eliana right now.”

“Everything?” Eirian repeated in confusion. “Why?”

“‘Cause we might’ve ran straight into a problem that we can’t handle on our own. Bigger than just my mother, and bigger than the White Fang situation back home.” 

He shared a fearful look with Adam. Right there, everyone could see the shift in expression on Adam’s face, his sharp gaze falling to fear when the mention of the terrorist organization hit him. It wasn’t even just him.

Eirian found her heart drop at that. The White Fang fiasco was one that still haunted them, even after a year had passed and they tried to move forward, looking to the future rather than behind them. For Adam, and for Eirian herself, it was especially hard for them. 

Knowing that now there’s something that was  _ worse  _ than that? It didn’t bode well for any of them. 

Despite the shock thrown at him, Adam did try to take it in his stride and take control, walking past most of the group with Roxanne by his side. “We shouldn’t waste time standing around, then.”

They all followed their leaders. As they all piled into the elevator, luckily managing to avoid anyone else shoving themselves in, the air around them was still and cold. None said a word, they couldn’t. Even Eirian, who tried to stay positive as to keep the worry and thoughts away, was finding it difficult to keep her upbeat attitude anymore. 

Through her mind, thoughts raced around at incomprehensible speed. It was like white noise.

And the anxiety was the worst. Pain with no wound, it pulled and ripped at her innards, leaving her practically sweating with her hand tightening around Zanthus’. A small squeeze was his only reply.

That alone made her feel better. At least, this time, she wasn’t dealing with it alone. 

Soon, the elevator came to a stop, and when the gate opened, the group of students were left in the long hallway leading up to Eliana’s office. At that moment, the gravity of their situation seemed to finally set in.

Even Roxanne faltered. Determination and confidence bleeding away to worry, she was the one to take the first step, accompanied by Adam as they led the others down the hallway. 

Door shut, they paused for just a moment. The knocks that Roxanne did on the heavy wood seemed to echo forever. A deafening sound. Over the sound of her own panicked heartbeats, Eirian stood there, gulping to herself when the familiar voice ordered. “Come in.”

Every one of them obeyed. 

As they entered the office, Eirian was surprised to see that only Ozpin was there. Compared to how he looked on the night of the dance, he at least seemed more refreshed and relaxed now than then. 

Sitting comfortably in one of the lounge chairs that Eliana had set up near a liquor cabinet and bookcase, he immediately ceased any conversation that was previously going on between Eliana and himself, rather focusing on the students in front of him instead. Those same golden eyes, soft when they laid on them all, immediately hardened once more when he saw no joy on their faces.

Immediately, he spoke. “What’s troubling you all?”

“I…” Roxanne looked back at her group. “We need to talk to you about something important. Both of you.”

“It must be serious if you immediately came to me.” Eliana noted calmly. “Speak your mind.”

“Well, Headmistress, my team and Roxanne’s, we, uhh… We were in the city, looking for someone.” Adam started, earning a tired sigh from Ozpin. “We didn’t do anything illegal. Just asked around. But, we found out something else.”

With that, he let Roxanne take the lead. “Mama, we know that the incidences with disappearing civilians are already being looked at, but it’s getting more serious. A Huntsman vanished just last night.”

Disappearances? The question sat heavy on Eirian’s mind, but she said nothing as the conversation carried on. 

“A Huntsman? Are you sure?” Eliana’s face darkened when her daughter nodded. “This isn’t good. All the previous reports were civilians, merchants, people that are easy pickings for those who at least can put up a fight. To go after a licensed Huntsman… They’re growing bolder.”

“Did you find where they were last spotted before their disappearance?” Ozpin asked.

“Last we know, Yishaq was in Hotep’s Palazar helping one of his friends with the stall. Any sightings had him leaving the stall to return home, and then he never did.”

“Yishaq? Last time we had word from him, he was on his way back from a mission out in the desert.” Eliana pinched her chin as she muttered. “He’s one of our most skilled and competent Huntsman. Any kidnapper would find it too big a risk to try and take him.”

Ozpin tried to be the voice of reason. “Can we be certain it’s them?” 

“Not for sure. All the disappearances don’t have a pattern. At least, not one we can pick up.” 

“Can we say something?” Niccolo’s voice snapped.

Stunned, everyone turned to the boy, finding that his whole demeanor had changed. 

Rather than trying to make himself as small as possible, unlikely to personally drag attention to himself, he stood tall with his arms crossed over his chest, a deep frown on his face. It was so different from before. 

Unfazed, Eliana gestured with a raise of her hand. “Is there something else?”

“Yeah. Ruri and I found something even worse when we were looking around.” He quickly paused when Ruri started signing to him. “We think we ran into one of the traffickers here in Isidis City.”

Everything fell silent.

All eyes on them, none could hide the shock to what he just said. Even Adam and Roxanne, both of whom were at least keeping a good handle on their emotions, were just as shocked as the rest of the group.

Yet, none were as stunned as Eliana and Ozpin. Both the headmasters uttered no words. Rather, they simply looked at each other, the Shade headmistress being the one to speak eventually as her friend coughed quietly.

“Are you sure about this? Perhaps you could be mistaken?”

“No.” Niccolo affirmed himself. “Ruri knows what she saw. We couldn’t see her face, but we know from her eyes. It’s the same person.”

Though she remained skeptical, Eliana at least gave them some trust in their reports. “If this is true, than I will give my full attention to the situation. Thank you all for finding this out, and for getting it to me as soon as possible.”

“Of course, Mama.” Roxanne nodded, though Chase suspiciously remained silent at that.

“For now,” she moved towards the window overlooking her city. “All of you will go to Theo’s office and tell him everything you learned today. I want nothing to go unnoted.”

“What’re we gonna do after that?” Eirian asked.

“You all will carry on as normal. Your training missions will start soon, and I want each and every one of you to take them seriously.”

Crimson eyes narrowed at that. While everyone stood around her, she tried to argue back. “But we were the ones who found out all of this. We could help, just tell us what the situation is and what we need to do.”

“What you need to do-” Ozpin interrupted. “-is rest and enjoy your time here. It’s good that you have a desire to help the city and her people, but this isn’t something for students. Let the Huntsmen handle this.”

Eliana joined him as she lectured. “Whoever these people are, they are not an enemy I will send children to fight. You wish to help? Don’t let anyone else find out about this. If word spreads that even the Huntsmen aren’t an untouchable force, we will lose the respect we spent years cultivating.” 

Dejected, Eirian found herself fighting against an unwinnable opponent, taking the loss as she nodded in response. 

With that short objection out of the way, the headmistress gently dismissed them. “Go. When you get to Theo’s office, tell him that I need him right after he’s finished with all of you. I don’t want to waste any time.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” The group uttered in unison. 

As they turned around to leave, however, Eliana called out once more. “Not you, Roxanne. I need to have a word with you.”

Roxanne stopped in her tracks. Even with the others standing there, confused, she simply accepted the order with a quick. “Yes, Mama.”

From beside her, Eirian noticed Chase moving to return to his twin’s side, yet something stopped him. She wasn’t quite sure, but from the downtrodden expression on his face, she knew, deep down, something was eating at him. Whatever it was, it had to wait until another time. 

A quiet sigh escaping his lips, he simply turned around and left the room, followed by his team while Eirian’s friends remained, waiting for her.

One final glance over at Roxanne, and Eirian too left the room.

When the door closed, silence fell over the room. Roxanne remained silent as she stood still in her spot. 

Unmoving, she allowed herself a quick peek at the door, wondering if the others were just on the other side, listening in as best they could to the conversation. Chase would’ve just left. As much as he always wanted to prove himself, she knew that to him, it was easier to ignore a problem rather than solve it. 

Finally, Eliana spoke, her voice soft and tender while she questioned her daughter. “What were you guys doing rooting around in the city? What’re you looking for?”

“Zanthus… he’s looking for his mother.” Roxanne confessed, approaching the desk while adding. “From what he and I learned, she was in the city recently before leaving. That was when we ran into Yishaq’s father and learned about his disappearance.”

“Hmm. It’s still too soon to make any concrete connections.” Eliana sighed, turning to Ozpin. “You’ve been awfully quiet. Is there something else?”

“Qrow had been sending in reports while out on the field. New kinds of Grimm appearing around Samson’s Valley, and the lands around the mountains.” He explained. “They’ve appeared only recently. I asked that he monitored them to see if anything suspicious occurred, but we thought it was another case of rapid evolution in the Grimm. We’ve already seen cases similar before.”

“But now?”

“Now, I’m worried that she’s found someone. Someone I hoped she would never recruit.”

Roxanne rubbed her scarred arm nervously. Trying to keep her voice level, she asked the question that had been bothering her for a while. 

“Do… you both think she’s involved? Salem?” 

Both Eliana and Ozpin frowned at the mention of her name.

“We don’t know. I’ll have to send word to someone I have working on the matter.” The older woman confessed, moving towards Roxanne as she placed a hand on her shoulder. “I know that everything we’ve told you, it’s a heavy burden to bear, but I’m afraid we’ll have to let you know now rather than later.”

Roxanne’s face fell when she heard that. Everything, all the stress, the weight, and it was something she couldn’t even tell anyone else.

All she had was her mother and the group she’d been brought into. Yet, it wasn’t enough.

“Ozpin’s strength is failing. From the reports given by the general, we only have two years at most before he… When that happens, not only will we have to find his next host, but we will have to prepare you for the task sooner than we expected.”

Anxiety sat in her stomach when she fearfully replied. “Wait, when? I thought we were waiting until after Shade.”

“That… might not be possible, anymore.” Ozpin piped up.

As Roxanne looked over at him, she could see the guilt in those eyes, the way his voice softened even more when he apologised. “With my deteriorating state, the increased attacks, what Qrow has been reporting back? I’m afraid of what’ll happen if we wait too long.”

“I… don’t know if I can.”

“The Gods have given us a chance. With your gift and Chavi’s powers, we can have an ally strong enough to pose a risk to Salem.” Eliana explained. “If she knows that we have a woman with Silver Eyes, and the power of the Summer Maiden, the threat could make her think twice about making a move. Give us enough time to build forces that can fight back when she eventually does strike.”

A hand gently caressed Roxanne’s cheek. Feeling the warmth spread into her skin, she took comfort in the gesture, feeling the confidence built when she saw just how much Eliana believed in her. 

She had a point. Regardless of what Roxanne personally wanted, she knew that the people of Remnant were in serious danger. If she could just keep Salem at bay for a while longer, she would shoulder the burden of the world to do so.

No matter the cost.

“Okay.” She agreed. “But, how long do we have? Chavi is still strong, surely she-”

“Chase had accepted a long time ago that her life would come to an end. She’s made her peace, and so must we with what we have to do.” Eliana’s face saddened for a moment. “Taking a life is never an easy thing to do. She’s our tribe leader, but in a war? We all must make sacrifices, irregardless of what is morally right or wrong.”

Suddenly, Ozpin reaffirmed. “This is ultimately your choice, Roxanne. If at any point you decide that this is too much, we will respect it.”

“Oz-”

“The Maiden’s power can never be forced on the unwilling, Eliana.” His voice took a sharp turn. “We have to remember that. There are always people to turn to when we need it.”

“But one with Roxanne’s eyes? One who can inherit a Maiden’s strength? You know that Salem took great care to seriously limit those kinds of allies for a long time.”

“It’s true. She’s been fighting this war just as long as I have, and she knows not only our weaknesses, but her own.” He agreed. “But we are not Salem. We won’t drag allies into a fight by the threat of force or coercion. This is their choice, right to when the fight ends… or they do.”

Eliana didn’t argue with that. Rather than anger or frustration, she seemed down, letting Ozpin say his piece to Roxanne. 

“I know you’re scared, and you have every right to be. I’m not going to bring you into this war on the belief that it’ll be as easy as you acquiring the Summer Maiden’s powers and beating Salem in combat.” He explained softly. “You’re still young. To give you the powers would be giving you responsibility that not even most Huntsmen know about. For as long as time will allow us, I want you to have fun, be with your team, and live a life that you deserve.”

“But if Salem is out there right now, if we’re really in such a bad situation, then I should be given the powers as soon as possible.” Roxanne countered.

Eliana seemed to agree when she joined in. “She’s right. If she’s ready now, if we can do it  _ now,  _ why would you want to wait?”

“Because by giving her the powers, we’re taking her away from her entire family.” Ozpin revealed, stunning Roxanne as she stood there in silence.

She wasn’t even given a chance to recover from the shock when he continued. “You know the life of every Maiden on our side. Salem would not only go for them, but their family, their friends, anyone she can use to drag the Maiden into the open and make them vulnerable. Amber is already risking everything by her infrequent visits to her family.”

Eliana said nothing to that.

“Not only would Roxanne need to disappear from records, she’d have to adopt a new identity entirely. She’d lose  _ everything. _ ” He grew more and more upset. “Chavi had already been a Maiden for decades before you were born. She learned to control and hone her powers in solitude, away from everyone, and every time we met, I knew just how much she missed her family.”

That pulled at Roxanne’s heart. She knew of the burden, everything expected of her, but this? This was new.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” She finally asked.

Ozpin’s face turned solemn at that. One hand gripping onto the end of his cane that rested by his chair, he at least gave her an answer to her question. “Eliana wasn’t the first to come up with the idea of combining Silver Eyes and the Maiden powers. But people who had these eyes were rare, scattered across Remnant, and it wasn’t long before Salem realised just what they were capable of.”

“Over time, many of us go entire lifetimes without even seeing one.” Eliana added. “When I found you and your siblings that day, I knew. The Gods saved your lives, and gave us a chance to save the same people Salem would’ve slaughtered.”

“When you joined Shade, and we came to you with this offer, we didn’t want to throw everything on top of you at once.” Ozpin tried to explain. “But we waited too long. I’m sorry that we had to keep secrets from you for so long.”

“What’ll happen to Chase and Aurora? They need me.”

“So does Remnant. This is the choice, Roxanne.” Eliana pointed out. “You can leave and stay with your siblings, giving the powers to someone else, or accept them and cut all ties to your old life.”

“This is not an easy choice to make. I wish we never had to put it on you, but we’re here now because we have.”

Roxanne’s gaze fell at that. “At most, you may have another year if you wish.”

“Oz-”

“At any point you have made your decision,” he ignored Eliana’s protests. “Then Chavi will call for you. Until then, just… enjoy yourself.”

“I’m not exactly sure how much I can after all this.” Roxanne admitted, trying to give out a small laugh that only fell short of a grimace. 

Sadly, neither of the adults around her felt the same. 

While Ozpin seemed down, leaning back into his chair as if just sitting up was too much, Eliana seemed conflicted. As she sat down on the edge of her desk, her cape blowing slightly in the breeze that came through the window, she wasn’t angry or disappointed. 

“He’s right.” She finally agreed. “After everything that’s happened, it’s hard to remember that for everyone, we’re in a time of peace. With everything I had to experience at your age, I want you all to be able to enjoy what our hard work earned.”

Slowly, she stood up, placing a hand on Roxanne’s shoulder. “Take this time to enjoy what you have.”

While the fact that she had time to think things through was welcomed, it always just gave Roxanne more doubt. She had made her choice. There was a time to pick, but her love for her siblings pulled her back.

Aurora was still so young. Roxanne was the only mother she had, and Chase? He was wild, irresponsible, but his bond to his sister was stronger than anything else in the world. For her to shatter that, to put the world above him, could he ever understand why? Would he accept it?

She didn’t want to be the reason for their grief. She loved them, but years of knowing her fate had made the responsibility easier to process.

They didn’t even have that.

With a simple nod, she turned to leave the office. Her hand gripped the handle, but stilled when Eliana’s voice reached her ears. “I’m sorry, Roxanne. I really am.”

Her throat closed at that. Dryly, she swallowed, and her voice was a saddened tone when she replied. 

“I know.”


	35. Beyond the Borders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The training missions have arrived. Together with Team CRMN, Team AZRE leave the borders of Isidis City for the first time since they arrived, and wander deep into the sand dunes of the desert. While tensions fly over Atlas and its hold over the rest of Remnant, an enemy they never knew existed makes its appearance. There, the students find what was once thought to be impossible.

The day that the training missions started was a packed one indeed. Zanthus hadn’t even realised that so many people were living under Shade’s roof until he saw them all together in one place. 

Because of the sheer bulk of students, the main hall where the mission boards were set up was packed from wall to wall with students. So much so in fact, that when the team managed to drag Adam out of bed and get downstairs, they found students overflowing into the hallways. All the noise in the air was deafening to Zanthus’ sensitive hearing.

Ears folded back into his thick hair, he pulled his headscarf further over his head, trying to rid himself of the bright light and noise as he groaned to himself. 

When he glanced over at his friends, he noticed that the scene around them affected them all differently. Eirian was, as expected, just as eager and almost energised by the electrifying atmosphere around her. Adam, surprisingly, was handling being dragged out of bed and forced to stand around countless loud people well. 

Ruri? Well, her turned off hearing aid told Zanthus all he needed to know.

“So many choices!” Eirian gasped as she laid eyes on the mission boards. “There’s missions all across the kingdom! Look, the older students even get to go off the main land to the colonies in Dragon Spine ridge!”

“Aren’t those right next to Isla Del Tosoro? The island infested with pirates?” Adam pointed out.

“The pirates haven’t attacked Vacuo or her colonies in years, I’m sure they’ll be fine.”

Adam grimaced at that. “I don’t know. Why Headmistress Eliana allows those thieves to stick so close to the kingdom coast is beyond me.”

“ _ I mean, maybe she can’t at the moment? _ ” Ruri suggested. “ _ Vacuo requires much, and with the Huntsmen at the top, they have to shoulder all the stress and responsibilities that come with it. _ ”

Zanthus added in agreement. “Besides, if a problem isn’t affecting you at the moment, you don’t need to go out of your way to purposely agitate it. We all know what’s on her mind at the moment.”

They all fell silent at that. 

Since they had taken all they had discovered to Eliana, nothing more had been told to them. Zanthus could understand, they were after all just students having stumbled into something far beyond their capabilities, but not everyone saw it that way. Eirian and Adam, true to their natures, were eager to find out more, either out of a desire to help or an inability to be kept in the dark.

But the consequences of Sasnak Docks over a year ago were still harshly felt. Adam’s noticeable limp reminded him and his team of that.

Thankfully, the mood was lifted when a friendly face appeared out of the crowds. “Well, y’all ready for ya mission?”

“Chase!” Eirian blurted out cheerfully, her arms thrown up in the air. “Wondered where you were! Where’s the others?”

“Getting stuff ready for the trip. Picked a mission clearing out a suspected Grimm nest that was attacking merchants on the outskirts of Samson’s Valley.” He explained. “Usually even higher year students would be expected to shadow a licensed Huntsman, but with everything that’s going on, Mama is entrusting us to travel to a town just before the Scarlet Fields to meet up with one.”

Adam was the first to question this. “Why do we have to go to them?”

“From what Roxanne said, he’s already on a mission there and can’t leave to come to the city.” When he saw the nervous expressions on his friends’ faces, Chase was quick to comfort them. “It shouldn’t be too difficult. We’ve already gone that far out before, stick with us and everything should run smoothly.”

Though the idea of being so far from the city was daunting, Zanthus put his faith in Chase and his team. 

Still, Adam noticed something. “Why aren’t you helping your team prepare?”

“I’m all set.” He pulled his twin revolvers out of the holsters that he had by his thighs, spinning them around to show off before returning them. “I dunno what you guys do, but I trust my team to do their own thing and they trust me.”

“Even still, it’s a pretty dangerous mission. Don’t you wanna just make sure everyone’s on the same page, since you’re their leader?” Eirian pointed out.

“It’s just my initial at the start of the team name,” Chase retorted. “Roxanne does it way better than I could. Having just one person handing out orders would mean everyone else automatically falls in line, and I’d rather we fell under Roxanne than myself."

“That’s not what these teams are meant to be.” Everyone turned to Adam. “They’re meant to be about teamwork, where everyone has a voice and a chance to make a choice no matter who’s first in the team name.”

“I dunno how you guys do things in Beacon, but here in Shade? The leader is the one who can make the hard choices, and it ain’t me.” Chase sighed deeply. “It’s better this way. None of us mind listening to Roxanne.”

“And what does Roxanne think of it?” Eirian asked softly.

Her question was left unanswered. Chase stood there, thoughtful, if only for a moment. 

Finally, he brushed off the question and smiled. “What is this, twenty questions? We better head out before we lose any more daylight.”

With a playful slap on Adam’s shoulder, he started to move out from the main hall. While the team shared confused and worried looks, none said anything about it, rather following after Chase as they all left the hall. 

By the time they had wandered outside to where the rest of Chase’s team and wandered off to, the conversation from before was shoved to the back of everyone’s mind. 

They all looked so professional. Armed to the teeth, each of the students seemed unfazed by what they were tasked to do, taking it on board while Zanthus and his team were daunted by it all. Roxanne especially had that look in her eye, turning to her approaching friends and twin while fixing one of her shoes.

“So,” she started. “I take it Chase filled you guys in.”

Zanthus nodded. “Pretty much. Gotta head to a town near the Scarlet Fields to meet up with our Huntsman.”

“That’s the plan.” She flashed a thumbs up. “It’d take us weeks just to get through the dunes on foot. Luckily, we have an airship that should drop us right there if the weather holds out.”

“And they said taking the airship everywhere is bad for you.” Eirian joked to Zanthus.

Chuckling softly, he listened as Roxanne turned to Adam. “Well, we’re both working together on this mission. As Team AZRE’s leader, we’re gonna need you to step up with me. When we get to Gaza, what’s the next course?”

“You’re asking me? You know the area better.”

“And I’m not gonna be here holding your hand forever.” She pointed out sternly. “You’re Huntsmen. Think like one.”

Though he scowled at the scolding, he did what Roxanne pushed him to do and thought deeply for a moment. 

Hands on his hips, he rubbed the back of his neck and spoke. “Do we know who we’re meeting up with?”

“Not by name. He’s a Faunus working for the Mistrillian government, and will meet us at the inn. He should be able to spot us when we get there.” Mauve revealed.

“Well, this is supposed to be our chance to step up under a Huntsman’s guidance.” Adam sighed deeply. “I suppose the next step is to gather all the information we can from the town before leaving for the valley. We’d have to get through the Scarlet Fields, though.”

“We got just the thing for that.”

Chase’s voice caught their attention. As they looked over at him, they noticed the older student rummaging through a satchel hanging from his belt. 

Sure enough, he was quick to pull out a couple of tiny vials. No bigger than half of his fingers, the glass was stained deep red, the dark fluid side partially visible as it swirled around. It was almost mesmerizing to watch. 

But the question on everyone’s mind was asked by Zanthus. “What is that?”

“Poppy Elixir.” He explained. “The Scarlet Fields are chock full of poppies that non-native people can’t handle. These lil’ vials have been around since before the Great war, mostly because Vacuo had a big trade market for Dust and other valuables.”

“The poppies are grounded and their extract are diluted so that people can take them safely. Over a length of time, the individual can develop an immunity similar to that of a native Vacuan.” Mauve added.

Eirian was quick to ask. “Why can’t we just drink more to build a faster immunity?”

“‘Cause you’ll die.”

Chase’s blank response got through to her, at least. 

Despite her embarrassed reaction, Ruri and Zanthus seemed amused by it, holding back laughter as Chase moved closer to give them the vials. While his friends took them without complaint, save for Eirian muttering under her breath about the gross taste, Zanthus was surprised when the twin walked away from him without giving him anything.

“Uhhh,” he grabbed their attention. “I think you’re forgetting someone?”

“You don’t need it. You said your mom’s Vacuan, right?”

“Well, yeah, I guess I did.”

“There you go, then.” Chase smirked. “You got your immunity from her. It might not be as strong as someone who’s fully Vacuan, but it’s enough to get the job done.”

“So he doesn’t get to drink the nasty juice?” Chase’s nod had Eirian moping to herself.

“Enough joking. You guys all suited up?” The team nodded, holding onto their weapons while Roxanne added. “Good. You’re gonna need them. Let’s head out.”

“Sure thing, boss.” Chase retorted in amusement. 

Though, Roxanne didn’t seem that amused. With a roll of her eyes, she turned her back to them and headed out, followed by Mauve and Niccolo while her brother remained. As the others approached him, he could only shrug with a confused look to Zanthus before following after his own team. 

Morning brought in ships from all around. Those who were visiting the city, rich companies bringing in produce rather than relying on the ancient ships, or Huntsmen coming in and out from places far away. It was all busy, and it was all loud.

It wasn’t particularly hard to find the ship waiting for them either. As soon as Roxanne stopped, so did the others, listening as she addressed everyone with Adam by her side. 

“I don’t think I gotta tell you guys that we’re gonna be in the shit from this moment we leave this ship. Gaza is a secure enough town, but Grimm attacks are a common occurrence outside the two main cities here in Vacuo.” She crossed her arms with a serious tone. “Keep your wits about you. Listen to your leaders. And don’t get separated. Out there, it’s life or death for anyone on their own.”

The whole situation seemed to sink in. 

As Zanthus stood there, listening to Adam and Roxanne explaining the plan over to make sure it was all clear to the teams, he couldn’t help but feel his mind drifting back. It all felt… too much.

Guilt and fear clouded him. Like a storm that never let up, it had been infecting him since the day he and his friends went to Eliana in the first place. Doubt gnawing at his gut, he couldn’t bring himself to believe in anything, not even himself. 

Suddenly, Adam’s voice knocked him out of his rut. “Let’s get going. We should reach Gaza by late afternoon if the skies stay clear.”

The others obeyed. Piling onto the small ship, Zanthus wanted to move, but he didn’t. Something kept him there. Doubt sticking to him, impossible to remove by himself. 

Someone else noticed his hesitation too.

“You okay?” Adam asked softly, approaching Zanthus with concern clear on his face. 

With a deep frown, Zanthus looked up at the ship, taking it all in before he closed his eyes and sighed. “It’s just… It’s too much. The mission, the kidnappings, my mom. I tried so hard to just put it to the back of my mind, especially after the talk with Theo, but… I dunno how much longer I can.”

“I know that it’s a big thing for you. It’s been years since you saw your mom, and the feelings you’re experiencing are the same ones I felt when I was looking for Blake.” Zanthus turned to Adam, watching as his partner glanced away nervously. “I was determined to find her. The idea of letting the White Fang get her… it was something I could never think of. But deep down, I was scared. Scared of not finding her and… what would happen if I did.”

Blue eyes met his slit pupils, Zanthus saying nothing when Adam continued. “But your mom is not Blake. You didn’t wrong her like I wronged my sister, and I know that you won’t stop until you find the truth out. If not for her, but for yourself. Because trust me when I tell you this, not knowing is far worse than finding out, even if the truth hurts you at the moment.”

“I don’t want anyone to think I’m ungrateful. You guys have helped me so much more than anyone has my whole life,” he pointed out. “But to drag you all across the desert to the one place my mother could feel safe enough to go? What if something happens out there? I don’t-”

“Zanthus.”

His rambling stopped. 

With a heavy heart, he found that in the midst of his emotional outburst, he looked away from Adam, turning back to see the other teen standing there with a comforting gaze.

“You didn’t drag us anywhere.” He corrected, taking hold of Zanthus’ hand. “We chose to follow you. Whatever happens, just remember that it’s not your fault.”

The words did something in lifting his spirits. They were kept close to heart, Zanthus doing his best to remember that when he inhaled deeply. As he sighed, he squeezed his hand tightly, enjoying the close contact with Adam for just a moment longer.

He was right, and deep down Zanthus knew that. He just had to remember it. 

From the background, he could hear Eirian call out to them. “Hey, we gotta take off! It’d help if you two were, you know, on the ship!”

Both laughed nervously at that. Sure enough, they made sure they were on the ship before it started taking off.

As the two teams sat in the back, opposite each other with two benches built against the walls, Zanthus looked over to see Roxanne standing in the space between the pilot and co-pilot’s chairs.

What she was muttering was lost on everyone. Everyone except him. 

Feline ears twitching, he listened closely as she whispered. “You think the skies will stay clear today? I heard a storm’s coming soon.”

“We checked all of our equipment this morning, on your mother’s orders.” The pilot affirmed. “Nothing outta the ordinary. Worst thing to expect is a rogue bird flying in the turbines.”

“I hope you’re right. With what we’re expecting at Samson’s Valley, I don’t want any unexpected mishaps to happen.” That caught his attention. 

He knew that Samson’s Valley was dangerous, but Roxanne sounded so sure just before. To her, this was just another mission outside the borders, and everything that could happen she’d experienced countless times over before. Maybe deep down, she was trying to put a brave face on for her team. 

_ Here in Shade, a leader is the one who can make the hard choices. _

What choices did she have to make? What else was there that Zanthus, that anyone, didn’t know about?

Grimacing, he sat there, sandwiched between Ruri and Adam while they tried to focus on the mission ahead. Eirian didn’t at all. Instead, she sat there with her legs swinging back and forth, looking around the ship with wide, curious eyes. 

“You know the X-Wing Fighter was designed early in Doctor Polendina’s career.” She started rambling. “With the group of elite Atlesian engineers, he made the blueprints for all of the equipment that Atlas uses to this day. Though, his partner in the university was the one to refine them and discovered how to combine Dust to create whole new energy sources.”

Mauve seemed interested in the conversation. “I’m surprised that you know so much about Atlas’ machinery.”

“Oh, I have no clue how they work.” Eirian confessed cheerfully. “I just like reading the history behind them. Doctor Polendina is brilliant at what he does, but I don’t think all this would’ve been possible if Doctor Watts-”

“Don’t mention him.” Mauve was quick to interrupt her.

Stunned, everyone turned to the Atlesian girl. 

She was angry, glaring down at the ground while all eyes fell on her. Some were shocked, some were confused, but Adam glared at her as if he felt nothing but pure hatred, only worsening when Eirian tried to debate. “I know it wasn’t a… happy ending for him, but after all he’s done… Is it really fair to take his achievements away?”

“Wait, what happened with this Watts guy?” Zanthus asked in confusion.

Golden eyes shifted over to where the feline faunus sat. With how sharp the gaze was, he felt unnerved, uncertain why her mood suddenly soured. 

It seemed he would soon get his answer when she finally spoke.

“Everyone from my home knows the story. It happened over two decades ago, but it’s a tale that’s spread around like a ghost story. My father used to work as a high ranking soldier, before wasting disease forced him to retire and move to Argus. When I was a kid, he used to tell me it, warn me not to follow the same path.” She paused. “Eirian already told some of the story. How Arthur Watts was a brilliant scientist, worked with Doctor Polendina and created so many useful inventions for Atlas.”

“Figures that they’d take them and kick him to the curb.” Adam grumbled to himself.

Mauve must’ve heard it, as her face darkened and her voice snapped. “He went and stole military information. After he lost out on funding, he stole what he could and then tried to escape.”

Zanthus and Ruri glanced at each other, the mute girl letting her friend ask the question clearly on both their minds. “What… happened to him?”

“What happens to traitors. He died.” He felt his stomach twist painfully at that. “No one knows how. The cause of death changes on whoever tells the story, but before anyone could do something, his death certificate was filed away and he was wiped from our history.”

“Everything he gave to Atlas was taken while his name was wiped from it.” Adam joined in.

Mauve couldn’t help her disgust when she retorted. “You’re seriously defending him?”

“He’s a criminal who stole for his own desires, but that doesn’t mean his efforts are suddenly no longer his to own.” He shot back with a backhanded comment. “If everyone who broke the law lost their rights to their own inventions, Atlas would have no scientists left.”

“I-”

“Or is it only a crime worth punishing when it’s against Atlas?” Adam didn’t let up, making his distaste perfectly well known to the student. “Doctor Polendina created soldiers, ships, and practically pushed Remnant into a new age of medicine. He and his scientists also experimented on countless Faunus who had no other choice.”

“The Faunus that participated were credited as such.”

“Yeah, as footnotes. That’s all they were to Atlas. Things to use up and discard with nothing more than a word in some textbook.”

Even when anger laced his words, Adam seemed more upset about the whole conversation than Zanthus would expect him to show. 

Crestfallen, he leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest as he stared Mauve down. “I was born in the same mines that gave Atlas, and Remnant, their dust. For the first ten years of my life, I saw every Faunus around me suffer. Some were crushed in collapsed mines, some worked to their graves, others got so sick that they lied down… and never got back up.”

No one could say anything as he let out the anger deep in his heart.

“So many Faunus, people I  _ knew,  _ disappeared from the mining communities we were shoved in. No one knew what happened. One day, they’d be at work, and another they were gone. Atlas scientists guarded by soldiers would come and pay their family members to move on, never knowing if their loved ones were dead or worse.” 

“I-”

“And you know how many others there were? After I left Atlas, and spent seven years in the White Fang, you wanna listen to what so many stories were?” He kept badgering her, digging into Mauve without any let up. “There was one I will always remember. She’s not a good person, I could never say that about her, but what happened… what Atlas did to her, it still makes me sick. They saw a girl who was already vulnerable and decided that, because no one would stop them, they would just cause more and more pain until she was no more use to them.”

Zanthus didn’t stop him. He knew the horror stories, recalling to nights where Adam would wake up in panic and recount all the things he saw back in Atlas, all the things he heard from others just like him.

Finally, he finished his rant with a venomous spat. “So don’t you sit there and tell me that, because they were given one lousy mention in a book, that all the pain it caused them was worth it.”

The silence that fell after that was crippling. 

No one could utter a single word. Too shocked by the outburst, Zanthus simply held Adam’s hand, feeling it tremble with rage and stress even when he got it all out. The others looked just as shocked, with Niccolo and Chase sitting there just as stunned as the girls, and Mauve herself staring down at her hands. 

Finally, Roxanne jumped in. “I know that everything we’ve experienced has had an effect. With what they’ve done, Atlas is by means a perfect kingdom, but I think after the long history all of Remnant shares, we can’t say that for anyone.”

“Doesn’t mean we should just ignore what Atlas has done specifically.” Adam shot back.

“You’re right. We can’t.” It was a surprise that Roxanne agreed. “Atlas has been given the chance to escape their crimes because of the monopoly they have over the rest of the world. When you have all the gold, it’s you who makes the rules, and the rest have to deal with it.”

“Way I see it, ain’t no point in trying to fight something you know you can’t win.” Chase added.

Adam’s scowl deepened. “So, what? You’re content to just let them get away with it?”

“If you got a plan to change things, I’ll change my mind.” He gave Adam a few moments to reply before adding. “Ya see? Everyone nowadays always focuses on the negatives, they let the past stay in the present, rather than throwing it behind them where it belongs. Ya can’t change what’s already happened, so why waste so much energy trying when you can use it to enjoy what you got now?”

“Because not all of us had an easy life like you humans!” Adam jumped up to his feet.

The accusation didn’t go under the bridge like Zanthus had hoped. All of the friendliness on Chase’s face vanished, a hardened glare replacing it as he moved to say something.

Before he could, Roxanne was quick to stop all infighting. “That’s enough! All of you! We’re going into Grimm territory, and you wanna start fighting each other?! You all realise that we’re gonna look like a giant dinner bell to every Grimm for miles if we don’t calm down?”

She was right. Zanthus knew that, quickly grabbing Adam’s wrist and begging. “Adam, come on.”

When he saw that eye turn back to him, the anger simmered, if still remaining, and much to his relief, Adam listened as he sat back down with his frown lessening. 

As the tense air started to lift, Roxanne sighed. “These things are complicated, but turning on each other is not the answer. Not now. Everything can be figured out, but it just takes time.”

“You’re not the first person to say that.” The horned Faunus pointed out grimly. “It’s easy to tell people to be patient when it’s not yours that's suffering."

Roxanne seemed to agree with that somewhat, given that she had nothing to say in response.

For the rest of the trip, everyone just sat there in silence. With the argument still fresh on their minds, they didn’t want to risk another outburst, but not many of them really disagreed with Adam’s words. Zanthus knew he didn’t.

While he wouldn’t have been so volatile, he actually found himself going over the conversation again and again. Knowing just what Adam went through, what other Faunus he had met went through, it filled him with sorrow and anger, but he knew that letting it burn uncontrollably would help no one. 

What he said to Chase, it wasn’t something he approved of. Chase didn’t know what Adam went through, but they didn’t know what Chase himself went through either. Assuming anything left fools of them all.

The only one of their team who could have some understanding was Niccolo. Yet, when Zanthus watched him, he could see that shouting and fighting left the student terrified, shrinking into himself as to not draw any attention. Even when the hours passed and the air was far less tense, he never relaxed.

Just what happened to him to cause this?

As he stared at the burnt flesh that took over the left side of his face, he feared just what he would learn if he tried to find out. 

Slowly, he peered out of the window. From what he could see through the small, rectangular space was nothing he didn’t suspect. For miles and miles, all the eye could see were dunes of sand, some towering over others as loose sand blew over the top, like waves with no water.

Even as they flew by for hours, he had seen no other civilisation. A pack of wild animals. A caravan of merchants if they were lucky. Other than that? Silence. 

Nothing but the sound of the wind blowing and the heat of the sun baking the earth alive. 

He was not the only one. Slowly, he felt Eirian move to peer through his window, smushing her face against his as her breath fogged up the glass. As quiet as she could be, she asked softly. “It looks like it goes on forever.”

“Still remind you of home?”

“Kinda. Our desert was smaller.” She paused for a moment. “What’d you think we’ll see when we get to Gaza?”

“A smaller town? Not many cities around anymore, especially for Vacuo.”

“I guess what Atlas did really had an effect on this place.”

“You could say the same for everywhere else. Atlas, and Mistral, what they did eighty years ago still affects us all today.” Zanthus sighed. “But to be honest, we can’t criticise them and ignore the fact that Vale and Vacuo are hardly innocent either.”

“You mean how they treated Menagerie?”

“You should know better than anyone. Atlas and Mistral might have been the ones who pushed Faunus away from their homes, but Vale and Vacuo watched it happen… and did nothing.”

Eirian didn’t seem as down. “Maybe they did wrong things in the past, but I think there’s always a chance to turn around and right them.”

“You got more hope than I do.”

She didn’t say anything after that. With Zanthus sitting there deflated, he just watched the world outside his window, waiting for when they’d finally reach the town of Gaza and meet up with the Huntsman assigned to them. 

Who they even were was sitting heavily on his mind. Whoever it was, they would be following them, listening to their orders, even Roxanne and Adam, but he knew there would be some leeway given that they were meant to learn how to do the job like a professional would. One couldn’t hold their hand through all of it, after all.

That did put a damper on their mission. Having to drag someone with them, on something so personal, it didn’t fill him with the greatest confidence. 

Unfortunately, voices caught his attention as he turned to look at the pilots. 

Roxanne had remained by their seats throughout the entire trip. Leaning over, he could hear one of the pilots muttering. “Stupid radar. Thing’s going on the blitz again.”

“We might have flown over another Gravity Dust vein. They always mess the magnetic fields around them.” Roxanne suggested. “Are we still on course?”

“It shouldn’t be too hard to find it without the radar, but…” He trailed off for a moment. “Hold on. I’m picking something up on the radio.”

Everyone was quiet as he fiddled with some switches and dials, tuning in his radio while one hand pressed up against his headphones. Carefully listening, he turned to his co-pilot with disbelief clear in his voice.

“Is that… windchimes?”

“How can we even pick up on something like that?” The co-pilot shot back in confusion. 

Even Roxanne was stumped. Taking a step back, Zanthus could see the look on the face, the way her eyes darted back and forth as her thoughts raced through her head In all honesty, he felt the same way, unable to think of any logical explanation.

They weren't given long. 

Suddenly, the windows darkened, and the whole ship plunged into shadows. Automatically, the lights inside turned on, but that did little to comfort the terrified students as the pilot shouted. “What the fuck?! Where’d this storm come from?!”

“It doesn’t matter! We gotta land before the storm drives us straight into the ground!” Roxanne ordered, spinning around to rush back to her seat.

Sandwiched between Mauve and Chase, she grabbed her seat belt while snapping at the others. “Seatbelts! It’s gonna be a bumpy ride!”

They all followed her orders. Hands shook as Zanthus fumbled with his seatbelt, managing to get the buckle to clip together just as a vibration shook the entire ship. 

A deep rumble could be felt through the very metal, the sound striking fear in the hearts of everyone there. Even the co-pilot couldn’t hide it when his voice trembled. “What… was that?”

“Radar’s still down. We’ll be flying blind, but I think we can make a safe landing on the du- Look out!”

No one could react when the ship suddenly lurched to the side. On instinct, Zanthus lifted his arm out to his side, stopping Ruri from lurching forward too much even with her seatbelt on. Yet, he couldn’t stop when sharp talons sliced through the metal like paper. Over three feet long, they barely missed Adam by inches.

Eyes wide, he flinched away with horror clear on his face. The talons clenched down, latching onto the ship as whatever caught it pulled back. Engines roared as the ship tried to fight back.

“Shit, we’ve been caught!” The pilot snapped. “What the hell caught us?!”

“Looks like a Grimm!” Eirian answered.

“I know it’s a Grimm! What kin-?!”

Any conversation was cut short when the ship wall around the talons pulled away entirely. Metal screeched, wires that were exposed sparked, and the storm that was safely kept outside blew into the ship, blinding everyone there.

Over the howling of the wind, Zanthus could make out Adam holding onto Eirian, the girl having nearly been dragged out with the wall she was connected to.

“Hold on!” He shouted.

It was deafening. Hands gripping Adam’s shoulders, he held on tightly, keeping both his partner and friend from being dragged out with whatever was attacking the ship.

And there he saw it.

Giant eyes. Red and yellow stared straight into his soul, the lack of any life behind them freezing Zanthus in place. He couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. 

It was  _ massive.  _ Easily as big as a Nevermore, it’s hooked beak opened as it let out an ear-splitting screech. It sounded mechanical. Like someone was scraping metal against metal, and Zanthus could’ve sworn it burst his eardrums when he clutched his head with one hand. He couldn’t let go of Adam, or both he and Eirian would be lost. 

Separated from the ship, its wings spread out, leaving a dark silhouette in the sand storm that could vanish in just a second. 

Suddenly, Chase shouted in surprise. “A Ziz?!”

“When did they get that big?!” Mauve asked in shock.

“It doesn’t matter!” Roxanne turned to the pilots. “We’re free, get us the hell outta here!”

“I can’t see anything in this storm without the radar! If I start flying around madly, we’re gonna crash into something!” The pilot argued.

With the stress of the situation setting in, Roxanne was short when she snapped. “If we don’t, we’re gonna be torn apart by that thing! Try and find a crevice to land in, give us some cover to wait it out!”

He didn’t try to argue with her, instead cursing to himself and trying to get through the thick cover of sand and dust that blew through. It was almost impossible to  _ breathe _ , let alone see.

As he pulled some of his headscarf further up his face, Zanthus helped Adam as they both pulled hard. Slowly but surely, they managed to get Eirian back into the damaged ship, letting her latch onto her friends to ensure she didn’t fall back out again.

Even with the distance put between them and the Ziz, the Grimm wouldn’t let them go so easily. 

The flap of its wings were strong enough to cause gusts of wind on their own. As each blast hit the ship, the group could feel it lurch and struggle against such power, the engines starting to whine with black smoke billowing out.

“You kids might have to bail out here! We’ll keep its attention on us, lead it away so you can get to safety!” The pilot shouted behind him.

“But you could die!” Eirian gasped loudly.

“We’ll be okay! On my count, you kids gotta go, or the engines’re gonna cut out and we’ll all be going down together!”

Zanthus couldn’t believe what he was saying. There was no way they could outrun the Grimm, but there was no time to argue when Adam unbuckled his seatbelt. 

“He’s right!” He ordered the group. “We gotta jump! With luck, we’ll be close enough to the ground that it won’t hurt too much!”

At least Chase seemed disturbed with the order. Even with his bandana pulled up to protect his mouth and nose, the way his eyebrows furrowed showed that he was not happy at all, yet any argument never came. 

Instead, he unbuckled his seatbelt and got up from his seat. Followed by his teammates, everyone tried to ready themselves as best they could. 

It was impossible to see the ground. No one could even see a few feet in front of them, but that same roar in the distance set the hairs on all their necks up, and put the fear back in their hearts. 

Suddenly, the pilot shouted. “Now!”

The ship tipped. Before anyone could prepare themselves, they were flung out of the ship without warning, free falling through the air. 

Wind howled in Zanthus’ ears, whipping painfully at his face while he fell through the air. Arms spread out, he handled the painful lurch of his stomach better than his last free falling test, trying to focus on landing properly rather than the sound of the ship soaring over them. 

All of a sudden, the ground came at him far quicker than he had anticipated. Gauntlets shifting into firing mode, he managed to let a few rounds off before he unceremoniously face planted the ground. 

Quickly, he found that it was the top of a sand dune, the sand coarse and loose as he rolled down to the bottom. Unable to stop himself, he just let his body roll out until he felt himself slow down. What he didn’t realise was that at the bottom was a cavern.

Instinct took over. His heart beating wildly, he dug into the ground, trying to find any purchase he could to stop himself from falling into the bottomless pit below. 

Thankfully, he felt himself come to a stop just before the ledge. A few rocks dislodged fell down as his foot brushed against them. Over the sound of the storm, he couldn’t even hear them when they hit the sides, only able to focus on what was in front of him. 

Another figure ran to him. A black silhouette against the grainy sand, for a moment Zanthus thought about defending himself, his ears pinned back in fear until he heard the voice. “Zanthus! That you?”

“Roxanne?”

Relief washed over him when he saw her face at last. Even with the bandana over her lower half just like Chase, the way her eyes sparkled when she saw him safe and sound said everything. 

“Come on,” she quickly got him to his feet. “This ain’t the place to stop.”

Appreciative of the help, he moved to take a step, only to freeze when he heard that same roar overheard. 

Roxanne didn’t waste any time, kneeling down while holding Zanthus. Both couldn’t make a noise. As soon as they looked up, they could see the outline of the Ziz flying overhead. All seemed to plunge into darkness as its wings blocked out the sun. Yet, he didn’t stop for them. 

Rather, it followed after the thick plume of smoke that trailed after the ship. 

“We gotta move. The others should be around here.” She explained as she got back to her feet.

“What about the ship? The pilots are still in there.”

“We can’t go after them. If we get close to that thing, we’ll draw its attention, and then the whole mission is in jeopardy.”

“So, what, we’re gonna leave them to die?!” Zanthus argued back.

Roxanne paused for a moment. Tense, she sighed deeply, keeping her voice level when she tried to get it through to him. “Yes. I don’t want to, believe me, but they knew what would happen the moment they told us to abandon ship. We can’t risk ourselves and our team trying to save everyone.”

He couldn’t stomach what she told him. He didn’t want to.

But seeing her saddened over it, how her voice was soft and comforting, he couldn’t be angry at her either. She was trying. Just as much as him, just as much as everyone else, she allowed herself one moment of honesty as she showed that conflict clearly on her face.

“This is what being a Huntsman is, Zanthus.” She pointed out. “Out here, people die everyday. We have to choose who at least has a chance.”

He stared down at the hand she put on his shoulder. Even if he still didn’t like the idea, he at least acknowledged that she had a point. Out in the storm, there was no time for arguing about it anyway. He knew they had to find the others and get to safety.

“Okay. Let’s try and find the others.”

A sudden vibration caught their attention. 

Surprised, Roxanne fished out her scroll, looking down with wide eyes. “Comms are back up. It’s muffled from this storm, but I can see where the others are from their scrolls. Let’s go.”

Together, they took off through the storm. 

The sand scratched at his exposed skin. Rough, like sandpaper being dragged over his flesh, he found it difficult to see or breathe properly, holding up his headscarf in some vain hope it would give his face some relief.

All the worry he felt wasn’t just for the pilots. He knew the slim chances of survival for them, but his friends, his  _ family,  _ they were still out there somewhere. Confused, lost, and in just as much danger as they were from Grimm or wild animals coming across them. Having all his sense blocked by the storm and sand did little to calm his nerves. 

Suddenly, he felt the ground shake. 

“Oh no.”

Before he could ask Roxanne what was wrong, things burst out of the ground. 

Disgusting looking creatures, with bloated, pale white skin and small, round heads that had no facial features. No eyes, nostrils, only a circular mouth filled with rows upon rows of small, needle-like teeth. 

Hissing loudly, Roxanne snapped in frustration. “Fucking Burrowers!”

“How does Vacuo make creatures so gross?” Zanthus groaned loudly. 

“Fight now, complain later!” 

With that, Roxanne rushed them. 

One couldn’t even move to bite her as she kicked a foot right into its flesh, using it as a footstool to lift herself up and give a devastating kick to its head The force alone sent it crumbling to the ground with a crushed skull. 

As she jumped away, another tried to lunch towards her, but was met with an axe kick that landed right on top of it. With all her weight, she landed on its head, crushing it with a squishing sound that made Zanthus almost want to vomit. If it wasn’t the sounds of flesh and bone being broken, it was the mucus that they secreted.

Something Zanthus found out when he grabbed one and broke its back over his knee. As it collapsed to the ground, he lifted his hands, grimacing when he saw a thick, almost gelatinous, mucus that covered them. 

“That’s so gross!” He complained as he sliced the belly of one that rose up to bite him.

“You might wanna avoid touching them!” Roxanne warned. “The mucus is an irritant. Your skin will feel like its on fire for a week!”

“Coulda told me that  _ before  _ I touched them!” He quickly wiped the mucus on his pants. 

Suddenly, Roxanne was rushing past him, kicking one of the burrowers away that had tried to attack him from behind. 

As her boots glowed bright red, the fire that emitted burnt it alive. Squeals of agony rang in their ears. As it squirmed away, desperately trying to avoid any more pain, it couldn’t get far before it just crumpled in on itself and died. 

Thankfully, there weren't that many to deal with. 

Zanthus slashed twice on the final one, watching as its head slowly dropped from its body as blood dripped down. The few twitches it gave were little before it collapsed onto the blood stained sand. 

Tired, he gave himself a moment of rest, putting his hands on his knees as he tried his best to breathe. 

From beside him, Roxanne noticed something. “The storm’s dying down.”

In the heat of the fight, Zanthus hadn’t even noticed, but sure enough, she was right. While some of the dust and sand was still kicked up by the wind, it was no longer an impenetrable sheet that blinded all unfortunate enough to be caught in it. Now, he could at least make out most of the environment around him. 

The crevice he almost fell down in was far larger than he had imagined. A giant fault in the earth’s crust, he could see it stretched for as far as he could see. 

Behind them, the dunes couldn’t even try to hide the distant sight of the mountains. Samson’s Valley. 

“At least we don’t have to travel far.” Roxanne pointed out tiredly. “We still gotta find the oth-”

The sound of fighting grabbed their attention. It sounded close, but with the sand dunes towering over them, they had no hopes in actually seeing where it was coming from. 

That didn’t stop Roxanne from rushing towards the sounds. “This way!”

He didn’t think twice before running after her. From the sounds alone, he knew that they were in serious trouble, more than they were. He had to be there. He had to protect his friends. 

As they stumbled over one of the dunes in their way, what they saw at the top stunned them. 

The others had managed to find each other in the blind panic, but they were not the only ones. No burrowers, or creatures of the desert, but Grimm, and from the shocked expression on Roxanne’s face, they were not any Grimm that she had met in the past. 

They looked inhuman. Even for Grimm, what they were taught about the creatures didn’t match up to what they saw. Black bodies oozed tar rather than smoke, dripping onto the scorching sands, with their bones looking more like blisters than bone. Even the skulls that replaced any face resembled nothing they knew before. 

Like broken china dolls, sections were pieced together, held by the same tar that oozed from their bodies. 

Clawed hands that were far too human slashed at the students fighting them. In the chaos, Zanthus could see Adam fighting back to back with Ruri, the two watching each other’s backs while Eirian soared up above. Out of their reach, she provided backup from the skies, dipping and weaving on her birds.

As Adam dodged a lunging Grimm, he slammed his sword straight through its skull, pinning it down. Yet it didn’t die.

Feet kicking at the ground, a hand erupted from its side, grabbing Adam by the throat as it lifted him up in the air, before slamming him harshly into the ground multiple times. Zanthus didn’t think. As soon as it lifted Adam up to slam him again, he rushed forward, using his claws to slice right through the flesh.

With a pained roar, its severed limb, and Adam, fell to the ground. He didn’t hit the ground, instead falling into Zanthus’ arms.

As he looked up at the other, he groaned. “Didn’t think we’d be in this same position again.”

“We can decide who gets rescued next when we take care of these Grimm.” Zanthus put him down onto his feet, turning attention to the monsters surrounding them.

With just a nod, the two jumped back into the fray. 

After the brief fight with burrowers, Zanthus could feel the muscles in his arms ache. It wasn’t crippling, he pushed through to keep up with the others, but it was certainly something he noticed. With the new Grimm they were facing, it was something that proved a disadvantage.

Something about them was  _ off.  _ Grimm that they were used to fighting were stupid, attracted to the negativity that their prey gave off, feeding on that source to guide them with little thought for anything else. It made them predictable.

These? Their instincts were sharper, not as much as the students fighting them, but they were capable of adapting to their strategies. 

As Zanthus grabbed one by its back legs, stopping it from lunging at Niccolo, he threw it with all of his might. It was powerless on its own to stop itself from flying through the air, but what shocked him was an arm stretching out from another. 

Latching onto the other, it used the momentum to throw the creature straight back at Zanthus. 

Stunned, he grunted when it slammed straight into him. Collapsing on the ground, he could barely grab its jaws as it snapped at him, pinning him down to the ground while its lipless jaws snapped wildly. It was like a wild animal, and it made the brief moments of intelligence all the more terrifying. 

As he pushed the face back, he grimaced as tar dripped down from its jaws and landed just below his eye. Even with his superior strength, he was shocked to see the tar bubbling from its back. 

Suddenly, wings sprouted from its back. Like a bat’s, the membrane was torn and rotting, the stench making Zanthus gag before he felt multiple hands grip him tightly. Panicking, he couldn’t break free.

There, he heard it. A hiss, deep and rumbling, but underneath he could make out something. It was like a whisper, but nothing he had ever heard before.

“ **_Help… me..._ ** ”

He couldn’t move. 

Unable to do anything, he was powerless when the Grimm took off with a flap of its wings, lifting him up in its iron grip. 

Struggling against it, he could hear Eirian call out in panic. “Zanthus!”

He couldn’t even call out for help before a gunshot rang. A squeal of pain, he felt hands loosen up, letting him turn around just enough to slice at the hands grabbing him. Finally, they released him. 

It wasn’t too far a drop. Landing roughly, he rolled across the ground, managing to come to a stop on his knees. Beside him, he could see his friends rushing to him, and Chase standing there with a smoking gun. 

There was no time for celebration. While the Grimm that tried to kidnap him fled with its bleeding wounds, the others started to surround them, forcing the students together more and more as they prepared to fight for their lives. 

Snarling jaws snapped at them, the beasts like wolves surrounding their prey. One suddenly lunged without hesitation. 

Before anyone could react, a figure dashed in front of them. 

The Grimm that lunged fell at their feet in halves. Tar poured out into a thick pool, staining the sand, as all they could do was stare in disbelief. Even the other Grimm ceased snarling, backing away when they saw the saviour before turning tail and retreating. 

With the danger passed, the students practically collapsed under the fear and stress they had been through in just a short amount of time.

Zanthus was severely affected. Sitting there on his knees, he stared down at the Grimm that had been slain. Instead of misting away like every other Grimm they had killed, it just laid there, slowly dissolving into the pool of tar that bled out underneath it. Soon, all that was left was the patchwork skull.

From beside him, he heard Chase sigh in relief. “You have no idea how lucky we are that you found us.”

“Lucky isn’t what I’d describe it.” 

Slowly, Zanthus looked up.

Standing there, bloody scythe sitting on his shoulder, Qrow stared at the students in front of him, and he didn’t look happy. 

“I saw the ship go down.” He explained, letting his scythe shift back into its sword mode before returning it to the harness strapped to his back. “Thought you kids were done for, honestly. Until I noticed your lil’ skydive down to here.”

Roxanne was quick to explain. “We were supposed to have flown straight to Gaza to meet up with the Huntsmen mentoring us. Before we could, the radar went down and we suddenly found ourselves in the middle of a sandstorm. Couldn’t even see that Ziz coming.”

“We never saw one that big before.” Mauve corrected. “Not only that, but we found these…  _ things  _ waiting for us when we landed. Trust us to run straight into a pack as soon as we set foot off the ship.”

Qrow grunted at that. Turning his back to them, he instead focused on the pool of tar in front of Zanthus, nudging the skull with his foot before dropping the truth. 

“You guys didn’t just run into them randomly. You were followed.”

No one could say anything at that. All, except Eirian’s stunned response. “Followed?”

“Yeah, followed. Tracked. Hunted down. Whatever you wanna call it.” He looked over at her. “You kids sure picked a fine place for your training mission. Samson’s Valley is teeming with these things, and you’re only gonna find more the further you go in.”

“We have to go. There’s something in the valley that we wanna find.” Adam insisted.

That caught Qrow’s attention. “Risking your lives for it, I’m guessin’ it’s pretty important.”

All of them looked down at Zanthus. He couldn’t even think of an answer, finding his mouth dried up and his tongue lying there uselessly. It was like the shock was a heavy blanket over him. Heavy and suffocating, he couldn’t think or speak. 

Thankfully, he didn’t seem to push the issue, instead pointing out. “Well, you guys ain’t gonna reach the town before nightfall. By then, this whole place will be a death trap.”

“He’s right.” Roxanne agreed, pointing off into the distance. “If Samson’s Valley is that way, it means we should be near Gaza and the Scarlet Fields. Between there and here, there should be a small cavern that we can at least find shelter for the night.”

“I can make sure you guys get to Gaza in one piece. After that, I got more important things to deal with.”

The group agreed with the offer. Out there, it was foolish to deny the help from a Huntsman, especially one as skilled as Qrow. However, when they moved out, Zanthus still couldn’t move.

His friends noticed this, with Adam approaching him worryingly. “Zanthus? Are you alright?”

“I…” He finally managed to look up. “I don’t know.”

What could he even say? That a Grimm  _ spoke  _ to him? The words whispered in such an inhumane voice, but practically begging him to help it?

There was no way they would even comprehend it. He knew that he couldn’t, but he also knew that he couldn’t stay there forever when danger was still all around them. 

As he accepted Adam’s hand, he followed after the others. Not once did he spare another glance at the tar that seeped into the sand, leaving a black stain and a mask sitting there all alone. Nothing felt like it made sense anymore. It didn’t.

Something was going on, and he knew that one way or another, he and his friends were going to find out more whether they wanted to or not. 


	36. Moment of Rest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With AZRE and CRMN out of the protection of Isidis City and its leader, Eliana and Theo have a moment to discuss matters that have been plaguing their minds. Meanwhile, the students settle down for the night, with some finding themselves open up more than they ever have before; both with the past and their future with the Grimm threat.

“Are you sure it was smart to send them out there?”

Theo’s question sat heavily on Eliana’s shoulders. As she stood at the window, watching over her city with a stern expression, she listened as her close friend voiced his opinion. “Roxanne and her team are old enough for the trip, I don’t doubt that, but we don’t know Team AZRE or what they’re capable of. Sending them straight into the place where these new Grimm are poppin’ out of? I don’t know if I would’ve approved.”

“They’ll have a Huntsman with them too.” She comforted, turning around with a glass of wine in her hand. “And Qrow should be around there by the time they arrive. He’s a lot of things, but I trust that he’ll watch over them.”

“With what I know of him, I can’t be so sure.” Theo’s distrust deepened Eliana’s frown.

Noticing the shift in her expression, he added with a sigh. “Ozpin trusted him with everything. I ain’t gonna go around and spit on that, but you have to admit that it’s not just his personality that makes people not wanna be around him.”

“The Gods had decided Qrow’s fate from his birth. It’s up to him to do with what he has been given.”

“You sure put a lot of stock in these gods.” He noted with a grunt. 

Clutching the glass with both hands, she raised an eyebrow in amusement. “We’ve been friends for a very long time, Theo. You only noticed now?”

“Ya know me, Eliana.” He shrugged, lifting one of his thick cigars to his mouth while one hand patted down his pockets for a lighter. “I ain’t ever believed in that gods schtick. If they ever existed, they left long ago when they saw just how fucked up this world is.”

“Don’t write off something that can still be saved, old friend.”

With a smile, she watched as he finally managed to find his lighter, pulling it out as a calloused thumb rolled on the stone. As a flame erupted and he brought it closer to his cigar, she waved her hand in a beckoning moment.

Suddenly, the flame sprang from lighter. Like a small orb, it floated across, sitting in the palm of Eliana’s hand while she stared over at Theo in amusement.

Hands falling to his sides in exasperation, he approached with an annoyed grunt. “Careful there. Someone might mistake you for the Maiden.”

“I’m afraid my Semblance isn’t up to par to what Chavi can conjure.” She snarked back, closing her hand around the ball of fire before sticking her thumb up. 

Quickly, the fire travelled up the digit. Orange light illuminated her umber skin. A warm glow over her hand, she held her thumb out, using it as a makeshift lighter while her friend lit his cigar up.

Happy enough, he backed off while he took a long drag, letting the smoke roll past his lips while musing. “I’ve been thinking… ‘bout Roxanne.”

Eliana’s shoulders tensed at that. She had already said her piece, and she just found it tiring to repeat herself every time someone wanted to bring it up.

Still, she let him say what was on his mind. “What’s on your mind?”

“I get why you’re doing it. I ain’t here to drag you for your decisions, but sending her to Samson’s Valley with the others… Ain’t ya worried that whoever’s working for Salem will nab her?”

“She chose that mission, after all.” She turned to her desk, a hand hovering over the countless reports she had skimmed through so many times. “I very well can’t keep her cooped up at Shade just because I fear for her safety. She has to strengthen herself physically and mentally for what’s to come, just like I had to when I left my tribe.”

“To be fair, you left to travel around Vacuo, and in the end we got this city, this new Academy, because of it.” He took another drag from his cigar. “But we both know that Roxanne is going to have to deal with so much more than one kingdom. Whole fate of Remnant on her shoulders? It’s a helluva weight to carry.”

“It was a weight carried by her father, and his mother before him. Everyone born with silver eyes faces the same threat, and its these powers given to them that means they have to do something about it.”

“What about Chase and Aurora?” Theo pointed out. “I love that boy, but I wouldn’t trust him to run a bath, let alone save the world. Not to mention lil’ Aurora is only eleven. If Roxanne has to be the world’s saviour based on somethin’ she was born with, what does that say for them?”

“That they’re destined for greatness just like her.”

Theo didn’t seem to agree with that. “”That’s the thing with destiny, though. No one can seem to agree on what it is.”

“Very well, what do  _ you  _ think it means?”

That seemed to silence him. Rough stubble against the skin of his hand, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully, unsure of what to even say to that question.

Before Eliana could move the conversation along, he finally gave his answer. “I think it’s something we call our achievements. Ya work all your life for something, and when ya finally get it? Someone attributes it to an indescribable concept rather than your own sweat and blood.”

It was certainly something to think on. 

She wasn’t given much time before the grown man added. “Well, I answered, now ya gotta tell me what ya think of destiny?”

“I believe… that it’s some kind of goal. That when you’re put in this world, you work to something that you believe is your end.” She swirled the wine in her glass, staring at her reflection deeply. “When I came to Shade all those years ago, I saw what it had become. It wasn’t what Ozpin had made them to be. Right then, I knew that my destiny had given me the opportunity to achieve it, to make Shade a sanctuary, and for Isidis City to rise from the ashes.”

“You really think the Gods gave you the chance to make all this real? All the pain, the courage, the stress of making this place a reality?”

“I do. It was my strength that made this, but I would have never done it if I wasn’t given that sign back then.”

“Ya ask me, I think you’re not giving yourself enough credit.” Theo answered honestly, rubbing his jaw with his free hand. 

There was no anger in her heart at his answer. The honesty was appreciated, something Eliana took to heart, for him, and simply chuckled softly. “Perhaps. Time will show whether either of us are truly right.”

“Ya willin’ to bet on it?”

The chuckle turned into a full laugh. “I am not willing to bet what I don’t want to lose.”

After the deep conversations, the lighthearted moment was appreciated by both. The lit cigar still hung from Theo’s lips. Embers and ash falling to the ground, he pulled it from his mouth, letting the smoke exhale through his nostrils before sighing deeply.

“I guess I’m just being a brooding pa.” He brushed off. “I knew their pa back up north. Champion was a mean ol’ bastard, but he did love those kids.”

“There’s some nights were… I wonder what they would think if they were still here. Even if Roxanne accepted the responsibility, would they have let her?”

Amber brown eyes drifted over to the wall. Staring without saying a word, Theo simply took another drag, before shaking his head slowly and confessed. “Knowing Champion and Isabel… No. The ol’ boy was already stressed out when he found not one, but  _ all  _ of his kids inherited his eyes.”

“Given how stubborn these powers are, it doesn’t surprise me.” 

“Either way, it’d be up to Roxanne in the end. She can make her own decisions, no matter what her parents would think… but I hope she doesn’t feel like she has to save the world because of her eye colour.” He paused for a moment before adding in a softer tone, as if trying to drive it home to his friend. “It ain’t fair on her.”

“We’ve given her the choice. She chose to accept them.”

“Did ya ever stop to think that maybe she feels like she couldn’t say no?”

That gave Eliana pause. It was a rare thing for her, being so uncertain of her decisions that she couldn’t even give an answer back, but it was always Theo that managed to get through her thick skin. Somehow, he just knew what to say to get her to think.

But there was no other way. The plans had already been put in place, and she couldn’t risk not only her kingdom, but Remnant as a whole, by doubting herself.

So, she stood by herself, even if no one else would. “I trust Ozpin’s decision to give her more time. It’s a huge weight for her to hold, so giving her the chance to slowly adjust to the idea might be best. Even if… I worry that time is the last thing we have.”

Theo didn’t try to argue with that. Seeing Eliana being so open and honest with him, it looked like it gave him the answers he was looking for. 

Slowly, he closed the distance between them, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. As she looked up at him, she saw that same comfort in those eyes. It was almost like everything felt lighter with him beside her. 

“Ya a good person, Eliana.” He insisted. “But ya trying to fight an opponent that fights dirty. Just try to remember what makes us different from Salem when the fight finally comes out of the shadows.”

While she stood there, he moved away. The hand dropped from her shoulder. A missing weight, she found herself feeling alone where she stood, unable to shake the worry and stress while her friend moved to leave the room. Even the sound of the door closing shut emphasised that loneliness. 

Yet she could not falter. She was Eliana Kokkinos. She was the headmistress, the leader, and she would do whatever it took to protect Remnant and all of the people that were in danger from Salem. 

Even if it broke her heart to do so.

Sadly, she wasn’t the only one having a difficult time. Unbeknownst to the experienced Huntress, her children and their friends had found themselves travelling across the desert, trying to get to the cavern Roxanne mentioned before night fell and the beasts came out from the darkness.

It was at that moment that Zanthus realised just how much he missed the air conditioned ships that chartered them around before. 

It wasn’t the first time in his life that he found himself in such a familiar situation. A life on the streets meant that, to get anywhere, one had to walk. Blisters on his feet and sweat irritating his skin were nothing new to him. Off the top of his head, only the volcanic badlands of Eastern Mistral were a similar obstacle for him and his family. 

It wasn’t just him struggling. As he glanced around, he saw Ruri and Adam practically drenched in sweat, both draped over the other in hopes of not falling flat on their faces in exhaustion. 

Ears pinned down in discomfort, Zanthus turned to Roxanne beside him. “How much farther did you say it was?”

“It should be around here… somewhere.” She seemed unfazed by the searing temperatures. “With how fast the sun’s setting, we got about another hour before we’re wandering around in the dark.”

“At least some of us can see in the dark?” Eirian tried to point out.

Others, however, weren't as positive as she was. Adam was quick to speak as he groaned tiredly. “How can it still be so hot at  _ dusk? _ ”

“You’re gonna kick yourself when the sun does set. Desert’s freezing at night.” Chase joked back.

No one was amused by his comment. With everyone practically glaring daggers at him, Chase quickly shut up, grumbling under his breath as Zanthus’ sensitive ears picked up. “Tough crowd.”

There was little patience in the group. Tired, sore, and worried not only for their safety, but the safety of the pilots that were left unknown, none were in the mood to joke around. 

Qrow seemed just as gruff as ever, never sparing more than a passing comment to the group as he led them further across the deserts. While Zanthus knew he wasn’t native to this harsh terrain, he could travel through the lands as well as any other. Given his age and experience, it wasn’t that much of a surprise. 

As the sun slowly dipped below the horizon, and the skies darkened to black, Zanthus could honestly say that Chase was right. The scorching sun was harsh on his back, but the freezing cold of the night bit at his skin.

However, Mauve and Adam seemed more at ease in the chilled environment. Lucky. 

With the moon only a small sliver of white in the darkness, they had barely any light to guide their way. It was no issue to the Faunus of the group. Their eyes lit up the desert around them, but their human companions seemed to struggle more.

Thankfully, it wasn’t long before Roxanne stopped, grabbing Qrow’s attention with a relieved voice. “There.”

The older Huntsman stopped in his tracks. Light red eyes following where Roxanne was pointing, he actually seemed less grouchy when he saw what she had found. All the other students followed his gaze as well, curious to what exactly it was that they spent so long searching for.

It wasn’t much. If one was passing by without actively looking, it would’ve been easy to miss it entirely, but Roxanne managed to catch it. 

A small cave entrance hidden by rocks and desert ferns, it was no bigger than Chase or Mauve, but it’s well hidden entrance meant that anything else would have difficulty finding it, or them. That was good enough for Zanthus. 

“It’ll do.” Qrow suddenly piped up, making his way towards it with Roxanne by his side. 

The others stayed close to him. Never straying, watching their surroundings, they refused to move even when they filed into the safety of the cavern. 

Pitch darkness that even Zanthus had difficulty seeing in, none of them could make their way confidently, feeling around in hopes of finding something that would guide their way. All of a sudden, red light flared up. Crimson lines swirled just above the ground, the smell of burning embers wafted in his nose. 

Before he could say anything, Roxanne piped up. “Just follow my shoes.”

“Thank the gods for Dust.” Chase sighed in relief.

It wasn’t much of a guide, but anything was better than wondering around in the dark. 

Fortunately, they didn’t travel too far into the cave, only walking for a couple of moments before Qrow’s voice suddenly echoed. “This should give us enough shelter from the cold. Everyone can drop their junk.”

The sound of backpacks and weapons thudded and clanked when they were dropped onto the stony ground. 

Feet ached as Zanthus took a seat, hissing to himself while he listened to what was going on around him. While he couldn’t see, what he could hear painted enough of a picture, especially when he could tell who’s who by the weight of their footsteps. Nearly two years of living with three other people meant that you grew accustomed to their quirks, no matter how small. 

Adam had a heavier step on his left foot than his right, a symptom of his injured leg from the fight with Iya. Eirian practically skipped everywhere, far more energetic than the average person was. Ruri? Almost silent. It was difficult to tell where she was when he could actually see, but in the darkness, she was practically a ghost.

The other new people were more difficult to tell. Roxanne and Chase had the tell tale clink of their spurs hitting the stone, with Chase’s heavier weight differentiating him from his sister. 

While the opposite could be said for Mauve and Niccolo. The heavy built woman knew her place in the world, and the way she walked reflected that. Strong, confident, all the things that were Niccolo’s opposite. Whatever happened in his past, he knew better than to draw attention to himself. 

Suddenly, sparks dragged Zanthus’ attention away from the sounds, his pupils narrowing every time the light hit his face. Before he could try and figure out what was going on, a small fire erupted on a bed of dry sticks and plant material. 

Qrow knelt in front of it. With a particularly long twig in hand, he poked and moved some of the kindling around, letting the fire burn bigger and brighter before sitting down properly. 

It didn’t take long before everyone else was huddling around it, all save for Niccolo. He seemed almost scared of it. Flinching away, he moved further behind Mauve, who allowed him to use her as a shield while she warmed herself up.

It was something to think about. Zanthus didn’t feel like he should intrude, especially with how little Niccolo spoke, so he left him to seek comfort from his close friends and focused on keeping himself warm in the freezing cave.

He wasn’t the only one doing so, Eirian toasting her freezing hands against the flames with a relieved mutter. “So warm…”

“Someone’s gotta be on first watch. Make sure nothing creeps up on us during the night.”

“You’re not offering?” Adam replied.

“Thought this was your mission? Gotta choose who’s going on watch, be a leader, all that crap.” Qrow sniffed, pulling out a flask from his jacket as he nestled against a smoothed out rock jutting from the cave wall. 

Zanthus turned back to see Adam practically glaring at the older man. While he could understand the frustration, it was the sight of the flask that got under the blonde’s skin more. 

Too many bad things happened when alcohol was involved. To sit there and see a man who once saved him, reduced to this? It was a feeling of disappointment and devastation that he could not describe. 

Still, it seemed that his leader took the tough love teaching better than expected. Annoyed still, he knew that there was truth in those words, no matter how rudely they were said, and offered. “I’ll take the first watch. Someone from Roxanne’s team can take after me, and then we’ll swap through the night.”

“I can take after you.” Mauve offered.

He only grunted in response. With that, Adam got up from where he was kneeling, showing no discomfort in having to leave the fire and walk out to the entrance of the cave. 

As the others watched him go, Roxanne piped up gently. “Thanks for offering, Mauve. I’d take the first step but these-”

“It’s alright. You guys just get some rest.” Mauve insisted.

“Take your friend’s advice. You don’t wanna be running on twenty minutes sleep when a Grimm gets the jump on ya.” Qrow’s voice croaked from behind them all. 

None of them said anything about that, but it was all on their minds as clear as day. Even hours later, the fight with those Grimm was haunting them, but what was worse was all the questions left behind when they retreated. 

Zanthus especially couldn’t shake the thoughts away. Like it was being whispered in his ear at that moment, he replayed the two words that one Grimm said.  _ Help me. _

It shook him to his very core. Grimm couldn’t speak. They were stupid, rabid monsters that destroyed everything in their paths, that is what they were since the creation of man. Even the most intelligent simply knew when to wait to attack. This? This wasn’t right.

And it looked like he wasn’t the only one thinking about it when Mauve spoke her mind. “About today… what we saw, does anyone else see what I did? The Grimm, they were…”

“Thinking. I have never seen Grimm be so coordinated before.” Roxanne confessed.

“Me neither,” Eirian joined in. “There’s plenty of Grimm back home in Menagerie, but nothing like… that.”

“How’re ya holdin’ up,  _ caramelo _ ?” Chase’s voice snapped Zanthus out of his trance. 

Ears perking up, he looked over to see everyone staring straight at him. Each and every one of them seemed so concerned, and it only grew when he took longer and longer to answer the simple question. He just didn’t know what he could possibly say.

Finally, he decided to be honest. “I’m… having a bit of a hard time.”

“It’s understandable. After today, the crash, that crazy sand storm, and then the Grimm? We just need a moment to process it all.” Roxanne explained.

“ _ How much can we process? _ ” Ruri pointed out. “ _ We should’ve been in Gaza by now, but instead we’re stuck in the desert with no protection, while those… things could come back at any time. _ ”

“Could they simply be more evolved Grimm?” Mauve suggested, sharing a look with Niccolo. “It’s a common enough theory among scientists. Grimm have been around for so long, maybe they can evolve like animals?”

“They’re not animals, though.” Zanthus shot back. “They’re monsters. At least for animals, you know they’re just trying to survive. But Grimm? They just destroy everything in their path like some kind of  _ plague.  _ If anything, they’re mutating.”

“You could say that.” Qrow suddenly joined in. 

Some of the students present turned to him. While Roxanne took care of the fire, making sure it didn’t go out, they listened while he finally talked to them. “You guys better prepare yourselves, ‘cause what you saw today? That’s what’s out there in those mountains. Why Eliana let you pipsqueaks out here is beyond me.”

“We’re old enough to be permitted on missions outside of the city’s borders. We trained for this.” Mauve shot back.

“Training in a classroom ain’t the same as doing it for real.” Qrow took a swig from his flask. “I’ve seen plenty of kids like you guys. Thinking that because they read it in a book, they can do it for real. End up just like all the others.”

“Some of us have had experience before we came to Beacon.” Zanthus retorted. “Though, I guess you wouldn’t really remember.”

“Something you wanna say, kid?”

“Zanthus?” Eirian’s uneasy voice did little to stop him.

After the events of that day, Zanthus felt himself right on the edge, barely able to hold on before giving into the anger bubbling deep inside. With a deep frown, he tried to hold back the biting tone. “I never expected you to remember me. I was just a lil’ kid when we met, but back then, all I could remember was the Huntsman that saved my life. Protected the village from the monsters.”

“I’ve helped my fair share of people, kid. Sorry if I don’t specifically remember you.” Qrow grumbled gruffly. 

“No, now I’m glad, because you ain’t even the same guy I remember. The one who I even based my cape off, because you were one of the first people to ever be nice even if you were just doing your job.” Zanthus couldn’t help but let some of the hurt seep into his voice. “But you’re just a drunk, like everyone else I’ve known.”

The sly jab seemed to get to Qrow more than he realised. For a split moment, his hardened expression shifted, a brief flash of grief, before Qrow took another swig and slurred out. “Sorry to disappoint ya.”

“Look, we’re just a bit frazzled. Let’s all calm down before this negativity starts bringing Grimm straight to our doorstep.” Roxanne suggested, raising a hand in an effort to calm the tense situation down. 

However, Zanthus could feel the stress building. It was all too much. Like it was building up more and more, until finally he couldn’t keep it under control any longer. 

“How can I calm down when a fucking Grimm begged for my help?!” 

His outburst shocked everyone.

None of them said anything, none of them  _ could.  _ It wasn’t surprising. To anyone else, it would’ve been something that a maniac would rant about, but they knew better. They had seen what was out there right that moment. 

Surprisingly, it was Chase who broke the silence. “What’d ya mean… begged? Like it spoke?”

“Yeah, it spoke. I-I  _ heard  _ its voice, like it was a person.” Zanthus got up to his feet quickly. “It needed my help. It spoke, which meant it had emotions, it had wants and needs, li-like it was a living thing! If that one could do that, what’s to say none of the others that we killed couldn’t?!”

Eirian didn’t seem to agree. “These Grimm aren’t like the others.”

“And how do we know that?! You guys don’t understand, if everything we know about the Grimm is  _ wrong,  _ that they are more like us than we realise… Did I kill more without realising?” His face fell after that, his whole body feeling heavy, like it took too much out of him to simply stand. “Did I take another life?”

“Zanthus, no.” He felt Eirian take hold of his hands. 

When he looked up, he could see the worry clear in those crimson eyes, shining with the light from the fire behind her. 

Her hands tightened when she continued. “This guilt you’re carrying over what happened has to stop. These Grimm are just that; Grimm. They’re not people like you or me, they’re monsters, and we have to fight them so that everyone else can be safe. It’s our job, and we can’t afford to start doubting ourselves now.”

“Mind filling us in?” Chase piped up behind them.

“It’s… a long story.” Zanthus confessed, trying to figure out what to say without going too deep into it. “I was in a difficult situation before I came to Beacon. It’s not something I like talking about, but what happened has been really… hard for me to deal with.”

“You don’t have to say anything.” Roxanne was quick to comfort him, turning to Chase when he seemed to argue back. “We’re all entitled to some privacy.”

“I mean, hey, can’t say any of us would really wanna just blurt out our secrets.” He conceded. 

While Zanthus felt relief wash over him at that, he was still on guard when Chase went on to add. “Can’t say I ain’t a lil’ curious, though. Here we are, in the middle of nowhere, so if now ain’t the time for some good ol’ team bonding? Ya know what I mean?”

“Like a group session?” Eirian piped up.

“Exactly, sunshine. It’s always good to mellow things out when ya just been through some heavy shit.”

Even Roxanne didn’t seem as put off as Zanthus would’ve thought. Unamused by the insistence, she at least tried to keep the good spirits up with an offer. “I guess since it was Chase’s idea, we should go first. What’d you guys wanna know?”

“ _ How about your eye colour? _ ” Ruri asked.

Suddenly, Eirian joined in. “Ooo, good one! I’ve never seen anything like them before Beacon!”

Her answer was quick, like she had been asked the question countless times before and remembered the answer off by heart. “It’s just an eye colour.”

“So pretty, though!” Eirian complimented.

While the compliment was appreciated, Roxanne’s smile turning more sincere as her cheeks flushed, Zanthus felt something was… off. He couldn’t put his finger on it though.

Quickly, Chase seemed to move the conversation along with a smirk. “Well, sunshine, I say it’s your turn. You said you’re from Menagerie, but you don’t exactly look like a Faunus.”

“ _ Chase. _ ”

“No, no, it’s okay.” Eirian was quick to defend him. “Loads of people have told me that, and it used to upset me kinda, but the way I see it now… I’m not really a Faunus, but not really a human either. I’m both!”

Mauve seemed confused by that. “Both?”

“My dad’s a Faunus, and my mom was a human.” She explained, both her hands held up with her index fingers pointing upwards. “I guess the proper terms given to people like me are hybrids, but I really don’t like that name. It makes it feel like I'm more of an animal than a person.”

“Oh,” Mauve clicked on. “You mean a half breed.”

Everyone fell silent at that. 

Zanthus moved to say something, to teach Mauve what she had just said was wrong, but to his surprise, Eirian was faster than he was when she corrected. “Please, don’t call me that.”

“Wait, why? Everyone back home calls people like you that.”

“It’s derogatory. People who hate Faunus/human mixed kids gave us that name, and we’re now trying to move past it so we’re seen as what we are; people.” She explained calmly. “Lots of people haven’t gotten past it, especially Atlas and its colonies.”

“Oh. I’m sorry, I didn’t realise it was such a loaded term.” Mauve apologised. “I’ll make sure I won’t do it again.”

“Thanks…”

“So, I take living in Menagerie while looking like you wasn’t easy.” Chase pointed out.

“You, uhh… guessed right.”

For a moment, she looked so serious. It was such a drastic contrast to her usual joyful self. “Thing I’ve noticed the most, and I’m not saying it as a bad thing, but everyone always says how bad the humans have treated the Faunus. We’ve been enslaved, hunted, beaten, everything, and even in the end… we were given an island and told to deal with it. So we did.”

Zanthus stayed quiet as he let his friend vent.

“But no one talks about how the Faunus of Menagerie treated me and my mother.” She sounded angry for a moment. “We weren't even allowed to live in Vikela, we had a hut on the outskirts. All alone. No one would come running if a Grimm showed up and attacked us first, and every time I went into town with my dad, they’d treat me like I was diseased. Like I wasn’t even a person to them.”

“That… must’ve been hard.” Roxanne tried to comfort.

With a saddened sigh, Eirian agreed. “It was. Eventually, my mom told me to just… stop trying. Stay in the house, Eirian, you’ll at least be safe here. But I was a kid. I wanted friends, I wanted to go out and play like everyone else. So one day, I waited until I had a chance, and I left the house. I was, what, six, I think?”

She paused for a moment. “I went into town and found these kids playing Vikelan Beowolves. It’s, like, this game where you have to tackle other kids and then they’re on your team, so one side has to get everyone else while they run away. I wanted to join, I thought it was fun… and then some of the adults noticed me.”

The air felt heavier. As the group listened to her story, Zanthus could feel the energy radiating off them, the anxiety, the uncomfortableness, all of it. 

Yet Eirian was the worst, sitting there with the fire reflecting in her eyes. Even her voice, usually so bright and loud, was barely a broken whisper as she recounted the incident. “Some of the things they said to me, even their kids repeated… My mom must’ve noticed I was gone ‘cause she came running when she heard the commotion. She was a Huntress, she fought Grimm, lived through so much… and that was the first time I saw her scared.”

“Then… what happened?” Roxanne asked nervously.

“I went home, and I didn’t leave the house again.”

“Is…” Chase nervously scratched the back of his head, a surprising difference to his usual camaraderie. “Are your scars… from them?”

Slowly, she looked down at her exposed side. It had become such a familiar sight that Zanthus and Ruri had looked over it. To actually pay attention, he could see just how disturbing they looked. 

With scarred flesh paler than her actual skin tone, some weren't even able to knit back together, showing the reddish muscle and flesh underneath. Any stitching that was attempted were long embedded into the skin, no longer able to be removed, and didn’t even look remotely professional, like someone had to quickly patch her up and then never took her to a doctor. 

Finally, she shook her head. “No. This… came a lot later. I was sixteen. My dad trained me for most of my life, so I knew how to defend myself. I decided to become a Huntress so I could prove that I’m not a monster. Word spread around that a couple of kids wandered into the Tokoloshe Desert, teaming with Grimm and wild animals, so… I went after them.”

Mauve seemed surprised with that. “Alone?”

“My dad was… busy. I thought I was old enough, that this could be my chance, you know?” She shrugged with a saddened smile. “I actually managed to save the kids. Even when they were surrounded by Veloraptors, I protected them, but one of them pinned me down… and did this.” 

She gestured to the scars, and at that moment, Zanthus felt horrified with the revelation. Seeing how some of her body was  _ torn out,  _ he couldn’t even imagine what it must’ve been like to go through that. 

But the worst of it all, was when she added tearfully. “They didn’t even thank me. I dragged myself and them back home, and it still wasn’t enough. Why? What did I ever do to them?”

None of them could give her the answer. None of them knew, unable to fathom why she was treated so poorly. 

Finally, it was Adam who shocked them all when he answered. “Because you existed. There’re people in Menagerie that believed in Menagerie remaining a place for the Faunus, and that anyone who didn’t fit their narrow views was not welcome.”

As they turned around, they saw Adam’s silhouette in the darkness. He didn’t even move from his spot by the entrance. Rather, he stood guard, watching the stars up above while adding sorrowfully. “I know I did.”

“Faunus in Menagerie had suffered over history. Even the things that we know, there’s others that some of us don’t, or were simply not taught.” Zanthus explained. “Some of them have been beaten down so much that they can’t see past their hatred towards humans, and now are just going after everyone who aren’t them for things they can’t control.”

“So like the humans went after the Faunus.” Niccolo finally said. 

“Given that Menagerie is entirely run by Faunus, yeah. They have their own power there, they can live without being hated by humans, but they chose to attack others just as viciously.” Zanthus agreed, nervously looking at Eirian as he did. “If we can’t call out our own people for their bigotry just like we do with humans, is it equality we’re really looking for?”

“Discrimination tends to cloud your judgement to the more… grey areas of the problem.” Adam confessed softly. 

Suddenly, Eirian piped up softly. “I think you’re doing okay.”

“Thanks, Eirian.”

There was no sarcasm in his words. It was genuine, a warm response to a friend, and it made Zanthus proud to see his partner having let go of some of that hate and pain that was blinding him. It would be better for Adam, and others, in the future.

Thankfully, Chase was quick to lighten the mood again. “I ain’t one to have an opinion on all these heavy things. Ain’t my place, really, but you know what I say?”

“What?” Eirian asked politely.

“You’re gonna be a great Huntress.” 

She lit up at the compliment. A wide smile spread from ear to ear, she was practically radiating from the praise while her friends shared in her happiness. It clearly meant the world to her to hear those words. 

“You guys should have some interesting stories?” She suddenly asked. “You said you and Roxanne came from up north, but what about you guys?”

Mauve seemed thoughtful as she answered the questions. “Well… I am the daughter of a high ranking Atlesian veteran and the third daughter of a minor noble, new blood. I’m afraid it’s nothing too exciting, especially compared to all of you.”

“Oh, so like Ruri.” Eirian gestured to the waving girl. “She came from a pretty rich family too.”

“I heard of the Kashima family. The ones who created Tsubaki, and the family that Seigyoku Kashima came from.” Roxanne revealed.

Chase added in a sultry tone. “Skilled fighter, pretty woman, fun personality. What’s not to love?”

Ruri was not amused by that. Before anyone could react, she bounced a small pebble beside her off Chase’s forehead, an impressive feat given that most was hidden by his large hat. Gingerly, he removed it as he rubbed the sore spot.

“Ow.”

“What about you, Niccolo? Where did you come from?” Eirian suddenly asked.

The man in question froze up when everyone turned to him. His one green eye widened, the anxiety clear to see with the silence just growing and growing. 

But before they could leave him alone and move the conversation along, he finally answered. “Salerno.”

“A Valerian settlement? That’s a long way from Vacuo.” She noted.

“And not a friendly settlement, from what I remember.” Zanthus added nervously. “I only passed by once when I was a kid, but it was more than enough for me. What were you even doing there?”

“I… found it.” His voice was barely a whisper, something that everyone besides Zanthus had difficulty hearing. “A Mother of the temple there found me. She gave me my name, Niccolo, and she… loved me. A Faunus.”

Chase raised an eyebrow at that. “A Mother?”

“The one who looks after temples in Vale. Men are called Fathers.” Zanthus explained. 

“ _ If she was looking after you, why did you leave? You came to Vacuo years before you could’ve gone into the Academy. _ ” Ruri questioned further. 

Niccolo fell silent, watching the fire that carried on burning through the kindling that was fed to it. Orange flames licked at the air. Feeding off it, growing stronger, Zanthus could see the fear growing in his face, and he couldn’t help but grow more unsure of whether he wanted to know or not. 

He couldn’t stop the other student from confessing. “The other people told her to push me out. They didn’t want a Faunus in their home, but she said no. She stood by me when no one else did.”

Even Eirian started to feel the tension rising from the others, almost like they knew how the story ended.

Curiosity pushed her further. Unable to stay quiet, she twisted one of her free dreads in her hands. “What… happened to her?”

There was no answer. Not even after they sat there in silence for a while, all staring at the fire in the middle of the group. From his behaviour, his wounds, and the clear trauma that he took from his time in Salerno, it was safe for everyone to say that it wasn’t a happy ending. 

By the time Adam came back and Mauve took over the shift, they had decided to call it a night. 

All laid there silently. Zanthus didn’t move, but he couldn’t push himself to fall asleep either. The conversations from before sat heavily on his mind. Not only the truth behind Eirian’s injuries, but what Niccolo had seen, what he had lost because of other people.

All around him, the others seemed to have at least tried to get some sleep. Qrow, for all his gruff nature, did keep watch over all of them, only falling asleep when the drink got too much.

Behind him, he felt Adam huddled under his cape, using the fabric as a makeshift blanket. Carefully, he turned around, covering both of them as best he could with the long cape, though they mostly kept warm by huddling together. Even Eirian and Ruri shuffled closer without realising, drawn by the heat radiating from the couple. 

Together, they remained. For once, Zanthus felt safe, protected, and soon he felt his body relax enough for sleep to take him. 

He needed his strength. When tomorrow came, he knew there would be even more trials to overcome.


End file.
